


I Promised That I Would Never Leave You

by TwistedIllusions



Series: Lullabies Go On, They Never Die, That’s How You And I Will Be [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Ben Hargreeves is Alive, Cardiomyopathy, Dad!Klaus, Fluff, I swear I’m not evil, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves Needs Help, Klaus Hargreeves Whump, Klaus Hargreeves is a father, Klaus Hargreeves-centric, Klave, M/M, Protective Dave Katz, Protective Siblings, Sick Character, Sick Klaus Hargreeves, Sickfic, Sober Klaus Hargreeves, There will be sweetness too, daddy!klaus, family fic, heart condition, slight AU, there will be angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:47:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 38,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24200821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwistedIllusions/pseuds/TwistedIllusions
Summary: Part Two of What I Never Knew I Always Wanted: Klaus finally had everything he could have ever dreamed of having; a loving husband, a perfect little girl, and the love and support from his entire family. His life truly could not have been any more perfect.Of course, the impression of perfection is only an illusion. When Klaus’s heart health decides to take a sudden turn, will the love and support of his family be enough for him?
Relationships: Dave/Klaus Hargreeves
Series: Lullabies Go On, They Never Die, That’s How You And I Will Be [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1687972
Comments: 58
Kudos: 83
Collections: Klaus is a DAD





	1. Life Is A Fantasy

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again m’dear’s! ;) 
> 
> Here is PART TWO of my daddy Klaus series! If you have clicked on this, just know that it _could_ technically be read as a stand-alone fic but I _highly recommend_ you read Part One “What I Never Knew I Always Wanted” first so that you know the full story that led this family to this point! 
> 
> I’m not sure if I’ll update again next Friday or the following yet, but it will be one of the two! I will try to stay on a Weekly update schedule like usual, though! So just bear with me! 
> 
> As always if you enjoy this I would _love_ to hear your feedback in the comments section, they truly do make my day!
> 
> And of course I hope that you enjoy! :)

The bed frame groaned loudly beneath him, protesting his motions so early in the morning as Klaus rolled over in bed and burrowed himself deeper underneath his warm cozy nest of fuzzy blankets that he’d been cocooned snugly within all night. His yawn turned into a soft giggle when a stray curl from atop his daughter’s head tickled him beneath his nose. Klaus’s eyelashes fluttered open, but he had to squint his eyes. Bright rays of sunlight had already begun to peek through the drawn shades in their bedroom, casting a soft warm radiance of flickering lights that lit up Riley’s ringlet curls, giving her an ethereal glow. He smiled at his angelic daughter’s peacefully sleeping form before peering just beyond her to the very handsome yet disheveled lump that was his slumbering husband. Careful as to not wake his daughter _quite_ yet, Klaus delicately shimmied himself with the grace of an inchworm closer to his love, pecking his temple before trailing his kiss to his lips. Both men smiled into the kiss before Dave’s own sleep-filled eyes opened and he hummed happily just as Klaus pulled away.

“Good morning, darlin,” Dave whispered, stretching his arm that wasn’t trapped beneath their baby girl in the air before settling himself in closer to their little princess. 

“Good morning, baby, I love you,” Klaus said softly, earning an _‘I love you, too’_ in response while he delicately traced his fingers down the side of his daughter’s perfect, cherubic cheeks before cupping her face in his palm. He ran the pad of his thumb beneath the long lashes of her closed eyelids, fanning each individual lash as he kissed her forehead, before he started to sing, just like he did every morning to his precious little girl. “ _Good morning beautiful, how was your night? Mine was wonderful with you by my side, and when I open my eyes and see your sweet face, it’s a good morning beautiful day._ ”

This was their daily ritual; every morning Klaus would rise with the sun, waking up first and kissing Dave awake, before kissing Riley and singing to her to help coax her from her slumber. He loved being the first person to greet Riley every morning, and the last person she smiled at before she would fall asleep every night. Klaus’s day was already made the moment Riley smiled at him, it was just as bright as the sunlight framing her tiny figure. Her smile first thing in the morning always made Klaus’s cheeks fill with an immense warmth and make his heart sing with a nearly overwhelming sensation of _love_. She yawned, stretching all four of her tiny limbs out wide before settling herself back against the mattress and snuggling up closer against the warmth of her daddy’s bare chest.

“Good morning, daddy, I love you,” she started before tipping her head back, her curls spilling out against the pillow like a chocolate fountain as she stared up at the man smiling from behind her. “Good morning, daddy Davey, I love you, too!” She crinkled her nose when Dave smiled down at her, kissing the tip of her nose, then giggled as Klaus gathered her back into his loving arms.

“We love you, princess. Are you ready for another beautiful day filled with adventures?” Klaus cuddled her even closer and ran his palm up and down her back to comfort her. Riley wrapped her arms around her daddy, nuzzling her nose into the warm crevice between his neck and shoulder.

“Always with you, daddy!”

Klaus hugged her close while Dave peeled the blankets away from the little family’s forms and sat up, rising onto his feet. He stretched, his joints popping and bones in his feet creaking as they warmed back up to being mobile again while he walked around the mattress and extended his hand to Klaus, helping him up before he carried their daughter out into the living room. Klaus’s broad smile adorned his cheeks as he tickled his daughter, earning squeals of joy from the little girl, his favorite sound to listen to each and every morning while Dave busied himself with fixing his family their daily early morning breakfast.

“ _Ugh_ , good morning,” Ben greeted groggily, his slippers dragging as he sleepily stumbled his way into the living room. He yawned and rubbed the sleep from his still hooded half conscious eyes. Klaus and Dave both exchanged a laugh as they watched Ben; he’d finally returned home from school permanently a couple of weeks ago and wasn’t quite accustomed to being home just yet. His typically perfect black coif of hair was sticking up every which way, and all he wore was a pair of boxers and a black hoodie as he lazily slumped himself onto one of the bar stools at the kitchen island beside Klaus, who was bouncing Riley on his knee.

“Morning sunshine,” Klaus chirped brightly with a broad smile. “My, don’t you look well rested this morning!” he finished, poking fun at his brother as he roughly patted him on his back. Ben groaned loudly as he folded himself over, crossing his arms atop the kitchen island and burying his face into the folds of his elbows.

“I didn’t sign up for this,” he mumbled against the sleeves of his hoodie. Klaus chuckled at the pitiful mess of his brother. Ben never had been much of an early bird, always said ‘getting the worm wasn’t worth it’. He smiled and shook his head while he gently ran his palm over his brother’s back in a soothing, figure-eight motion. Ben’s school had been in a different time zone, and Klaus knew it would take some adjusting for him to get reacquainted to these new hours. Honestly, Klaus didn’t mind how long it would take, he was just happy and beyond thankful to finally have his brother back home where he belonged. Riley was four years old now, and only seeing her uncle for holidays and random breaks throughout the year was _not_ how Klaus envisioned his little girl getting to know and love her uncle Benny. Klaus would never complain, though. It was true, Ben _didn’t_ ask for this, he _offered_. The truth of the matter was as soon as Klaus’s heart condition came to light, Ben wasted no time in informing Klaus that he wouldn't allow him to go through this alone, he would return home as soon as possible so that he could be there to help him, he just had to finish his school year first. Klaus told him he didn’t need to, that it wasn’t necessary, he knew how important school was for his brother, and how hard he’d worked to get accepted into such a fine university. Klaus told Ben that he was fine, he didn’t need to do any of this. After all, he had Dave and Dave’s family, and now even the rest of their siblings by his side should he need the help, but Ben wouldn’t accept no for an answer. Now here, Ben was willingly giving up what he’d worked so hard to obtain, and he did it all for _him_. Ben was still in school, just not quite as elite of a facility, but he assured Klaus that it didn’t matter to him; being here, home with Klaus, Dave and Riley was more important to him than anything else. Klaus would forever be eternally grateful; having his brother back meant more to him than Ben would ever know.

“It’s okay, Ben,” Dave started as he set a plate with a homemade sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich down in front of him. “Take your time to wake up, but please eat before you run off to school, you look like you could use the energy boost,” he smirked before he set a mug of coffee down as well. Ben sat up and clasped his hands together with a tired but thankful grin.

“Ah, bless you Dave,” Ben started before taking a big bite. He hummed in pleasure, eyes fluttering as he chewed, “Delicious, as always. Wow, Klaus didn’t lie when he said you were like having a personal chef.” Dave laughed while he slid a plate with eggs and fruit on it to Klaus, before handing him a little cup with his medication and a glass of water.

“Thank you, Ben. I’m glad to know my services are appreciated by _someone_ ,” Dave said as he shot a smirk towards his husband. Klaus glared at him as he swallowed down his pills before washing them down with a few sips of water.

“Hey now, I do appreciate your delicious cooking, I just don’t appreciate that I can’t enjoy all of my favorites anymore. I mean really, sausage, or _real_ bacon,” he closed his eyes and his face contorted to feign sadness, “pancakes, or _waffles_?! It’s torture!”

“Aw, such a shame,” Ben moaned, taking another bite of his sandwich before he looked at his brother with a smug grin on his face and a shrug of his shoulders. “For _you_ , anyways. Just means more for me.”

“You see!” Klaus said as he pointed to his brother, his eyes darting between Dave’s amused smirk and his daughter’s curious blue orbs and perfect smile. “Can you believe how mean your uncle is to your poor daddy?”

“I’ll make you some turkey bacon if it’ll make you happier, darlin—“

“It’s just not the same! I miss carbs, and salt!” Klaus pouted. Due to his heart condition he’d been forced to make some drastic changes to his diet; no more loading up on carbs or sugars like he was used to, and he had to severely limit his salt intake. Needless to say, he wasn’t adjusting to his new bland diet very well. Klaus hugged Riley closer before taking a bite of his eggs. “At least I still have you, eggies,” he finished as he poked at his plate. Dave slid a plate of eggs with fruit and a cut up piece of sausage on it closer to Klaus for Riley, and his eyes watched it with a laser focus. He groaned as he held his hand over his heart with a gasp, “You too, Riley?!” 

“Sorry daddy,” Riley said as she stabbed her fork into her sausage and brought it to her mouth.

“It’s okay, princess. I forgive you,” he started before glaring at Ben and Dave. “But I do not forgive _them_.”

“I love you, too,” Dave said as he leaned over the counter and kissed Klaus’s forehead, earning a pout and a grumble in response from his love. “Now, Ben quit teasing your brother, or you’ll be late for class. We gotta get ready for the day, and Klaus, _you_ need to eat, darlin.” 

* * *

“Tag, you’re it!” Riley squealed as she chased her daddy around the giant open field at the park. She tapped his hand before pivoting on her heels and running away from her father as fast as her legs could carry her. This was their favorite place to come together; the little family would walk to this park nearly every day for Klaus’s heart health, as well as just to allow Riley to stretch her wild legs and run free for a while. They all loved to play and just have fun together and enjoy each other's company. Klaus’s own laughter bellowed from his chest as he chased his little girl, he had a possibly unfair advantage of having extra long legs, especially in comparison to his daughter’s. Riley may have been tall for a four year old, but Klaus had always been lanky and tall in general. He quickly caught up to his little princess and scooped her up into his arms where he dangled her upside down, just the way Riley always loved to be carried, and listened to her loud giggling.

“Tag, _you’re_ it now, princess!” he exclaimed happily, tickling his fingers against the soft exposed skin of her little belly where her shirt had barely lifted, causing his baby girl to squeal. Klaus righted his daughter, holding her in a tight hug and kissed her all over her face, only earning more laughter from his little monster.

“Daddy, no! Let’s play again!” she begged through her unending giggles, pressing her tiny hands against her daddy’s cheeks to push him away.

“What, you don’t like my kissies?” he questioned before kissing her again, and again, and again which only caused Riley to just laugh harder.

“No!” she squealed. Klaus pulled away and gasped, holding his hand over his heart.

“No?! What do you mean, no? You don’t love your daddy?” Klaus accused with a false pained tone to his voice, his lip jutting out and wobbling from feigned hurt. 

“No, I do, daddy!” Riley cried, draping her arms around Klaus in a hug. “I love you!”

“Well, if you’re sure,” he started, sniffling back his fake tears before hugging her tighter against his chest. “Okay, I love you, too.”

“Yay! Will you play with me again then? Please daddy?” Riley asked. She wrapped her arms around her daddy’s neck and peered into his emerald green eyes, a broad smile on her perfect features. Klaus smiled and nuzzled his nose against hers before kissing her forehead. He leaned back, propping her on his hip as he looked into her big, beautiful blue eyes.

“While I would love to play another round more than anything, princess, I’m going to have to tap out. Your daddy’s too old and feeble to run around that much.” He held his hand out to mimic as though he was holding a cane with an exaggerated elderly tone before he straightened, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. “But how does feeding the ducks sound to you? We have some cornbread leftover from our picnic, I’m sure your feathered friends down by the pond would love to try your daddy Davey’s family recipe—after all, they _are_ part of our family, too!”

“Oh yes, can I daddy? I want to feed the duckies!” Riley squealed as she clasped her hands together. “Please, daddy, please?”

“Oh, alright. I’m sure they’ll be happy for this impromptu picnic almost as much as we were,” Klaus smiled as he set Riley down, ruffling her curls before taking her hand within his own and walking with her back to their little picnic area. “But remember, don’t wander too far, stay in my sight, okay?”

“Okay daddy,” she promised while she quickly plucked the final three corn muffins from their picnic basket, pressing them clumsily against her chest. “Yay! Thank you daddy! Here I come, duckies!”

Klaus smiled fondly as he watched his daughter excitedly meander towards the pond with her arms full of corn muffins for her friends. He knew he could trust Riley; she’d practically grown up here and knew how to demonstrate safety around the water’s edge. He also knew that she was well aware to steer clear of strangers, only talk to anyone she knew personally, and to scream at the top of her lungs for her daddy’s if anything were to happen. Klaus sat down on their picnic mat before he allowed himself to lay back to get more comfortable. He sighed, folding his arms in a relaxed position across his belly as he stared up at the cloudscape, admiring the many shapes littering the brilliant blue sky. He smiled as he listened to the precious chatter of his daughter’s voice. Riley was laughing while she carried on a conversation with her duck friends, being sure to call each one by their designated names she’d given to them, telling each one how beautiful they were, and reminding them just how much she loved them. Klaus couldn’t hold back his soft chuckling before he felt his eyes slip shut, the sound of his daughter’s joy was lulling him into a relaxed almost meditative state. Occasionally he would lift his head to check on her, _just in case_ , before relaxing back down against the mat and allowing his eyes to flutter closed once more. They’d spent a good portion of their day at the park already, arriving just after nine in the morning and staying well past lunch. They’d enjoyed a lovely family picnic together, partaking in a delicious home cooked meal before spending hours upon hours just playing with Riley. They played several games of tag, dozens of rounds of hide and seek, and each of them took turns for hours pushing her on the swings. It was a beautiful day, but even Klaus had to admit that he was _beat_. Klaus could almost feel himself starting to drift to sleep, that is until a body suddenly plopped on the mat beside him. He smirked, peeling one of his eyes open before tilting his head to peer at his husband who wore a lopsided grin on his handsome features, merely succeeding in emphasizing his perfect dimples. Dave tilted his head, his eyebrows raising while he pointed up towards the sky.

“Oh, look, I spy with my little eye the shape of a dog!” 

Klaus followed his husband’s trajectory of where he was pointing towards the sky, he tilted his head, pursing his lips in concentration as he squinted, struggling to find the fabled creature, “Hm, where? I don’t see anything.”

“Well, try again, but try looking from my perspective,” Dave suggested, his smirk growing broader as Klaus scooted himself towards Dave until his body was nuzzled up nice and close to his own. He rested his head against his husband's broad shoulder, exhaling a sigh.

“Ah, yes, there it is. I see it now,” both men laughed while Klaus huddled even closer against his husband’s warmth, burrowing his nose into the collar of his shirt. “Oooh, I spy with my little eye a pair of lips,” he whispered against Dave’s flesh.

“Oh?” Dave asked, tilting his head towards his husband just as Klaus peeled himself away from Dave’s neck and the couple’s eyes met. “Really, where?” 

“Right here,” Klaus said before pressing his lips against Dave’s, snagging his pout for a passionate kiss. The two men smiled into the kiss, each rolling onto their sides to pull the other closer, wrapping each other within their arms. Klaus hummed, his fingers toyed with the delicate curls at the nape of his husband’s neck, while Dave’s palm cradled Klaus’s cheek, stroking the pad of his thumb tenderly over his high cheekbone. They could have gone on forever like this, happy just to have and to hold one another. 

Suddenly, Riley’s terrified screams cut through the air like a knife in a slasher flick; startled and caught completely off guard, the couple quickly split apart, bolting upright with a jarring start. The instant fear they both felt quickly melted away, however, smiles tugging at their features when they realized _why_ their little princess had been so scared in the first place. Her friends the ducks had begun to realize that their feast was nearly gone, and the flock had decided to gang up on the little girl to fight for the final few crumbs that were left. Pascal, the largest of the mallards was flapping his wings, in hopes of intimidating Riley to drop the final golden nugget for him to gobble up greedily for himself. Klaus and Dave each looked at each other, shaking their heads and rolling their eyes at the hilarity of the situation at hand.

“Think we should save her?” Dave asked with a smirk as he watched Pascal waddle ever closer on his bowed webbed feet.

“I think that would be a wise decision, yes,” Klaus laughed. He rolled onto his knees, grunting at the effort it took him to do so before Dave helped him up onto his feet. “Never fear, daddy’s here!” he called valiantly just as the two men raced towards their daughter. Dave sang the heroic tune from the Indiana Jones movie in the background and Klaus teased Dave for his choice of soundtrack. Dave beat Klaus in their foot race there, scooping their little girl into his arms and placing her atop his shoulders, his grip on her calves to steady her. 

“Daddy Davey, you’re my hero!” Riley cheered through her laughter, leaning over Dave’s head and wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. Dave smiled proudly, puffing his chest out with pride before he pressed his lips to Riley’s forearm in a quick kiss. Finally, Klaus caught up to them, huffing to catch his breath while still laughing. He ran his fingers affectionately down his daughter’s back and gave her ankle a gentle squeeze. Klaus still struggled with his heart condition and got easily winded if he overexerted himself; he sucked in a deep breath before he finally felt that he’d regained enough oxygen and was able to speak.

“I think that’s our cue to go home now,” he said breathily as a smile crept across the corners of his lips. Once the little family knew that they were a safe enough distance away from a potential attack from the ducks, Dave set Riley down and each of her daddy’s took one of her hands within their own. They walked all the way home like that, linked together as a single entity. Occasionally, they would swing their little girl into the air by her arms, eliciting screeches of joy from the four year old. They walked this path almost every day, unless Klaus was having a bad day, then they would drive, but typically they would come to the park daily, weather permitting. 

It was already nearly dinner time when they decided to finally head home. Klaus’s heart health had been great since his surgery, but even still he tended to get tired after a busy day of playing, and this had been a very, _very_ busy day. They would usually only spend one to two hours at the park, but today they decided to make an entire day out of it, and Klaus was definitely feeling the repercussions from that decision, he was starting to feel his fatigue weigh him down. Riley was relentless, but he would never complain, he loved his little girl with every beat of his heart. Klaus loved to hear her laughter, and see her perfect smiling face. More than anything, he especially loved knowing that _he_ was the one who brought so much joy into her life.

When the family arrived back home Riley bound into the house. She was unable to contain her excitement when she realized that Ben had just gotten home from class himself. He was quick to greet the little girl, instantly pulling his niece into his arms in a giant hug.

“Uncle Benny! You’re home, will you play with me?” Riley asked without missing a beat, while she wore a wide smile across her perfect dimpled cheeks. Riley wrapped her arms around Ben’s neck, staring eagerly into her uncle’s deep brown eyes.

“More play? Didn’t you just harass your daddy’s at the park for like,” he checked the time on the clock before looking back at the little girl with a comical expression. “ _Seven hours_? Goodness, where do you get all of this energy from, honey bee?” he chuckled.

Klaus slumped tiredly onto one of the stools at the kitchen island, leaning on his elbow against the counter. He carded his fingers through his curls before swiveling to look at his brother and his daughter. He grinned, running his palm up and down his stomach, one leg propped on the foot rest of the stool while the other dangled limply.

“She’s like the energizer bunny, Benny. Of course she’s ready to keep going, and going, and going,” he twirled his finger in the air in a continual circle before propping his other leg on the stool as well. “I’m passing the torch, you can entertain her for a bit, her daddy needs a minute to relax!” he laughed.

“Are you trying to exhaust your poor daddy?” Ben asked as he tickled the little girl, making her wriggle and squeal. “Huh? Are ya, you little monster?”

“Nooo!” she called through her laughter.

“Oh, no, really? Because I think that you are, your daddy’s pooped and needs to take a break, do you know what that means? Yeah, it means that _I’m_ in charge now! Get ready for a rip roarin’ good time, munchkin! I hope you brought your A-game, because I’m not your daddy, and your uncle Benny doesn’t tire quite so easily!”

“Yay!” Riley cheered as Ben swung her around in circles before setting her down and chasing the little girl around the house; the sound of their shoes scuffing against the tiles trailed behind them as they went. Klaus relaxed against the kitchen counter as he watched them play, he couldn’t help but smile. Klaus was so thankful for his brother, he was always so quick to step in and take over whenever he needed to rest or take a break. He may have been doing exceptionally better, but he still wasn’t supposed to push himself too far. He was a little tired, nothing too bad, certainly nothing worrisome, but he knew that he just needed to sit down for a little while and allow his heart to rest. Dave busied himself in the kitchen, working on fixing the family their dinner for the night; salmon, brown rice and asparagus, a perfectly heart healthy meal approved by Klaus’s doctors, and a baked potato for Riley, since the little lady was _not_ a fan of brown rice. Not that Klaus could blame her, admittedly, he wasn’t much of a fan of it, either. 

Ben continued to chase Riley around the house for a little while, the pair would dart between the dining room and the living room, chasing each other in circles around the entire house. Riley was dodging around and behind the sofa, side tables, and dining room chairs to hide from her uncle. At one point they made their way outside and into the backyard, where even with a closed door between them Klaus could _still_ hear the sounds of both of their laughter echoing loudly throughout their loving little home. Eventually, they came back inside and Ben crawled past the kitchen on his hands and knees as Riley rode on his back like he was her own personal pony. Riley smiled, and laughed, telling her daddy to look at her amazing pony, and praised just how pretty he was. Klaus smirked, telling her how Ben sure did make the prettiest of loyal steeds, but he was sure to warn her, as Ben could be a little frisky, and didn't want him to buck her off! Of course, Ben took that as his cue and attempted to throw the little girl, being sure to do so in the living room where the floors were still paved with padded mats. The air was full of a riotous laughter as he kicked, and hopped around trying to dislodge his niece from his back, until he successfully ‘reared’ and flopped them both onto their backs on the couch, leaving them breathless and teeming with joy.

“Again, uncle Benny! Let’s do that again!” she exclaimed happily, clapping her hands together eagerly. Ben looked to Klaus with wild eyes as if begging for his brother’s help to relieve him from Riley’s neverending energy. Klaus couldn’t contain his laughter at the exasperated look on his brother’s face.

“ _Oh_ , look who’s tired now,” Klaus teased, quirking an eyebrow as he watched Ben heave for his breath. “You’re always so quick to mock me, but she can be a handful, can’t she?”

“Good lord, yes, I’m sorry I ever doubted you, I see that now,” Ben said as he exhaled a harsh sigh, his hand laying across his abdomen as he tried to catch his breath. “The best handful, of course, but yes. Maybe another round after dinner, honey bee? Now _I’m_ pooped!”

Klaus just continued to laugh as he watched Riley dramatically sprawl herself across her uncle’s lap, begging him to keep playing with her when Dave turned on some classic 60’s music - his favorite. He peered to his husband when the song on the radio just so happened to be ‘I Got You Babe’ by Sonny and Cher, and both men exchanged a smile - as this was _their_ song. Immediately Dave’s face lit up, his eyes tracking to his husband’s. He smirked at Klaus, swaying his hips side to side while he removed his oven mitts. Then, dancing his way out of the kitchen and coming around the kitchen island, he extended his hand to Klaus; an open invitation, offering him to join him for a dance.

“Oh baby, I don’t know, I mean, dinner’s almost—” he started to protest, but Dave just intertwined his fingers between Klaus’s, grabbing his hand and hauling him onto his feet. Klaus couldn’t help but to laugh when Dave hooked his arm around the small of his back before tracing his fingers down to his waist, where he gently pressed the pads of his thumbs against Klaus’s exposed hips. Dave pulled him even closer and started swaying both of their body’s to the rhythm of the classic old tune. Dave’s grin widened when he pressed his nose to Klaus’s, softly singing random excerpts of their song to his love while they danced in each other's arms. Klaus would giggle whenever Dave would press his lips to his cheek, or his neck, or whenever he would hum the words into his ear; Dave’s warm breath against his skin made Klaus’s hair bristle and stand on end. “That tickles, you goob!” Klaus joked as he playfully tapped Dave’s chest before pressing his supple lips to his husband’s, earning a tender kiss in return. They continued to dance, and Dave took Klaus’s hand, spinning him in sloppy pirouettes around the dining room to their song. Klaus wrapped his arms around Dave’s shoulders as he laced his fingers into the curls at the nape of his neck, and nuzzled his nose against his chest while his husband peppered his neck with delicate kiss after kiss.

“Ew, gross,” started Ben, his nose scrunched up in disgust as he watched the public display of affection enfolding before his very eyes. “Riley, tell your daddy’s to get a room!”

“I like it when they dance,” she began as she watched her parents sway and sing along happily to the music with adoring smiles on each of their faces. She smiled, turning her attention to her uncle as she laced her fingers around his hand, “Uncle Benny, can we dance too?”

He smiled at his niece; unable to deny her precious dimpled expression. “Oh, alright,” Ben took both of her tiny hands into his own before he rose to his feet and they began to dance along to the music as they joined her parents. The entire room was filled with music and laughter as they sang and danced around the dining room, twirling around each other in circles and just having _fun_ , filling the room with so much joy, and _love_. 

The song broke off and swapped to the next track; ‘Pretty Woman’ by Roy Orbison. Klaus smiled, twirling his fingers into Dave’s curls and kissing his lips before breaking away from his husband and approaching his little girl. Klaus tapped Riley on her shoulder, offering her his hand as he bent down to meet his baby girl’s gaze.

“May daddy have this next dance?” Riley’s smile spread from ear to ear as she laced her fingers into Klaus’s.

“I’d love that!” she chirped, happily bounding towards her daddy to partake in their own private daddy daughter dance.

Klaus twirled Riley around the room like she was his own personal ballerina; he would delicately grab onto her by her hips and lift her tiny frame into the air before dipping her. Her loud squeals of joy permeated the air as Klaus righted her, pulling her into his arms and propping her on his hip as he spun his little girl around, dipping her again before kissing her cheek. Riley smiled, hugging her arms around her daddy’s neck as he sashayed around the living room with her, theatrically bobbing his head and swaying his hips to the rhythm of the music. He set her down and she stood on her tippy-toes as he spun her in tight circles around, and around and around until she was nearly dizzy from the motions. She giggled euphorically, and bound into the air in her own special leaps before jumping back into her daddy’s arms, only succeeding in making Klaus’s smile brighter, and his laughter even stronger. The song ended and Klaus allowed himself to collapse against the cushions of the sofa, Riley followed suit and tumbled onto his lap as they both heaved to catch their breath through their own soundscape of joy. 

“I love you daddy, that was so much fun!” Riley said while she hugged her father, squeezing her arms around his waist in a tight embrace.

“I love you too, princess,” Klaus said. He planted his lips against her tight ringlet curls before whispering in her ear, “Shh, don’t tell your daddy Davey, but you’re my favorite dance partner.”

“Aw yay, really?” She mimicked her father’s actions and cupped her tiny hand to her daddy’s ear before she whispered, “Don’t tell uncle Benny, but you’re mine, too!” 

Klaus smiled fondly at his princess before peering around the room and taking in the scenery surrounding him; he never in his wildest dreams would have ever expected his life to wind up quite like this: he laughed as he watched his husband still dancing around the kitchen, singing wildly out of tune to the music as he finished preparing their dinner. His brother was finally home and he wore a smile on his face as he teased Dave for his singing while he still tried to catch his own breath. Klaus never would have imagined that he would be having random dance parties in his living room with his wonderful husband and beautiful little girl, with his loving, perfect family and yet, _here he was_. 

Klaus was _happy_. Sure, it was true that not everything in his life was perfect; but really, what in life ever was? He would still occasionally have bad days, very few and far between, but they still would happen. Klaus was lucky enough that he hadn’t had one in quite a while now, a few months, actually, which he was beyond thankful for, especially since his last one had been a particularly bad time. Typically his bad days would be just that: one, maybe two bad days, but his last one stretched much longer than usual and left him feeling quite weak for several days past its end. He was just thankful he was in good health overall, though. He’d never expected to be living such a wholesome and beautiful life, but boy, was he sure glad that he was lucky enough to call this life his own. 

He wrapped his arms around his daughter and hugged her tightly against his side while he rested his cheek atop her perfect ringlet curls. After such a long, busy day and that little dance party, Klaus was definitely starting to feel his exhaustion catch up to him, and weigh him down. His eyelids felt incredibly heavy and his body was sore, but even still, he couldn't help but to _smile_. With warmth filling his cheeks, and joy in his heart, Klaus closed his eyes and allowed himself to absorb this moment, and cherish creating these beautiful memories. 

Dave shut off the music and turned on the television, popping in a random Disney movie in hopes of getting Riley to settle down for a little while. He was in the kitchen when he realized Klaus began to slow down; after years of being alongside Klaus during his illness, he was proud to admit that he was incredibly in tune with Klaus’s health, and he could easily spot just how tired his love was getting. Surely, this busy non stop day of play must have been exhausting for him, but Dave knew how stubborn Klaus could be, and how easily he would disregard his body’s needs. He knew he needed to step in and help urge him to rest, at least for a little while. Dave took a seat on the couch and leaned down to press a kiss to Riley’s cheek before sitting up and kissing Klaus’s temple. Klaus’s eyelashes fluttered open at his delicate touch and he tiredly peered to Dave with a warm, sleepy grin. Dave’s lips quirked into a soft smile while he raked his fingers through Klaus’s curls before settling his palm against his love’s cheek; Klaus eagerly leaned further into the warmth of his touch.

“Well, this has turned out to be quite an adventurous day, wouldn’t you agree? I think you two earned a nice little break, why don’t you both just sit down and relax while I finish up dinner, okay?” Dave spoke softly as he ran the pad of his thumb gently over Klaus’s cheekbone.

Klaus hummed in response, “Hmm, that sounds good to me. What about you, princess? Mind if we just chill and relax for a little bit?” 

“Okay, daddy, we can do that. This just means I get to cuddle with you more!” she tightened her grip around Klaus’s waist and pressed her cheek against his chest. Klaus closed his eyes. A warm smile was tugging at his lips as he curled up closer to his daughter and he finally allowed himself to rest.

* * *

Once dinner was ready Dave and Ben set the table so that Klaus could continue to sleep for a little while longer; he and Riley had both nodded off on the couch at some point during the movie, and neither man had the heart to wake either of them just yet. Riley just looked so cute all curled up in her daddy’s arms, and they both knew how badly Klaus needed the rest. Once the table was completely set, Dave and Ben made their plates; Ben fixed Riley’s for her, and Dave Klaus’s for him. Ben poured out glasses of water for everyone before they both decided it was finally time to go ahead and wake the precious little father daughter duo so that they all could eat together as a family.

Dave approached the slumbering pair on the couch and knelt before them, cupping his palm to Klaus’s cheek. He spoke softly to help coax him awake, “Klaus, darlin, wake up, it’s time to eat.”

Klaus sucked in a breath and his eyelashes fluttered open. His half hooded eyes flickered to Dave’s calm expression before he allowed them to drift back closed once again. “Hmm, did I fall asleep?” he mumbled tiredly, his words sluggish with fatigue.

“Yeah, you needed a little nap. It’s been a long day for us all. Now, come on, wake up, you need to eat.” Dave ran his thumb over Klaus’s cheek but his husband didn’t so much as flinch. He simply hummed in response and swallowed the saliva in his mouth while he nuzzled himself closer to his daughter. Riley had already woken up, thanks to Ben playing with her curls. She was smiling, and ready to go eat and get off of the couch.

“Daddy, wake up, we need to go eat dinner,” Riley patted her daddy’s cheek and Klaus’s eyelashes fluttered before settling closed once again. Dave and Ben each shared a somber expression; they knew Klaus would be tired, but didn’t realize just how much this day had drained him. It was evident just how exhausted he was by how badly he was struggling to wake up.

“Come on, honey bee,” Ben took Riley’s hand and helped guide her out from her father’s embrace while Dave swooped in to trade spaces with the little girl, “let’s go sit at the table while your daddy Davey helps your daddy wake up, okay?”

“Okay,” she leaned over and kissed Klaus’s temple before Ben led her to the dining room. “Wake up so we can eat, daddy, don’t worry, we’ll wait for you,” she called over her shoulder.

Dave smiled proudly as he ruffled Riley’s curls before he settled himself against Klaus’s side. Klaus had slumped against his shoulder, his body was limp from exhaustion. Dave ran his fingers through Klaus’s curls for a minute just to comfort him before pressing his palm against his cheek once again. He kissed the tip of Klaus’s nose, then his forehead before nuzzling his nose against his. Klaus hummed, his eyelashes finally peeling open and staying open, but he just looked so tired.

“Hey,” Dave whispered softly, “I know you’re tired, but you gotta get up and eat, okay?”

Klaus nodded his head, pressing his forehead snugly against his husband’s and hummed in agreement, “Okay.”

“Good,” Dave kissed his forehead again, earning a soft smile from his husband before looping his arm around Klaus’s. Slowly, with all the care and patience in the world, Dave helped coax Klaus upright before easing him onto his feet. He frowned when Klaus was a little unsteady at first, but Klaus assured him he was fine.

“Sorry, m’just tired,” he said as he rolled his shoulders, “and a little stiff,” he chuckled before continuing. “I just gotta get up and move and I’ll be right as rain.”

Dave simply nodded in response before intertwining his fingers between Klaus’s with one hand, wrapping his arm around his back to offer support with the other. Klaus couldn't hide his smile, or the blush to his cheeks at Dave’s unwavering constant support he always showed him. Klaus knew that he was fine, he was just left tired after such a long day, but that didn’t change the fact that he was so incredibly thankful for his husband's constant caring touch. Dave led him into the dining room and helped Klaus take a seat in one of the chairs between himself and Riley and the little family finally settled down to eat.

At dinner, Ben told everyone all about his day at school, going into detail about the course he took. Klaus loved not just listening to Ben talk, but watching him, too. Ben was always so animated when he spoke; he would wave his hands in the air theatrically as though he was trying to _show_ you what he learned versus explaining it to you. Even with the mimed explanations, Klaus still had no idea what Ben was talking about, but he didn’t care. He was just happy Ben was here to talk about his day in person instead of over the phone. Riley was sure to talk all about her wonderful fun-filled day at the park with her daddy’s; being sure to tell her uncle Benny about all of the rounds of tag they played, and how high Dave pushed her on the swings. She was certain not to leave out the detail of how he saved her from being ‘eaten by the duckies’, as well, an important detail that mustn’t be missed. Klaus listened intently as everyone spoke, but he didn’t have much to add onto the conversations. Dave and Riley did a pretty thorough job of relaying their day to Ben, which he was thankful for, because he was honestly just feeling rather tired and not in much of a mood to talk.

“Aren’t you going to eat? Klaus, you’ve barely touched your food,” Ben asked as he watched Klaus nudge his food around on his plate. Apparently, he wasn’t in the mood to eat, either. Klaus’s appetite had been fine as of late; not to mention, he’d eaten his entire breakfast, and they’d had a lovely picnic at the park. Now, though, Klaus just wasn’t hungry. His day had been rather strenuous on his body and his heart, which definitely explained his lackluster appetite. He knew he was sore and tired more than anything. It was perfectly normal, for him, anyways, to not be hungry whenever he would feel this way.

“I’m still full from lunch, Benny. I’m fine, really,” he smiled as he stuffed another bite of his asparagus into his mouth, humming while he chewed. Ben nodded, and the conversations reignited while the family carried on eating their dinner. Klaus was only able to finish about a third of his plate before he pushed it away and crossed his hands over his belly. He leaned back in his chair and exhaled a long yawn before smiling at his daughter and taking her tiny hand into his own. “It's just about time for bed princess, how about we go brush our teeth, okay?” 

“Already?” she asked with a pout. Klaus nodded while Ben and Dave both agreed, it was getting late, and Klaus should go to sleep to allow his heart to rest. “Aw, okay.” She got out of her chair and went around the table to hug Ben and kiss his cheek, “Good night Uncle Benny, I love you.”

Ben hugged her back and kissed her cheek with a loud _mwah_ , “Good night honey bee, I love you, too.”

Dave was at his side immediately to help Klaus stand, but the gesture was unnecessary as Klaus was feeling so much better now that he’d gotten some food back into his system. With a smile, he wrapped his arms around his husband and kissed him on his lips before breaking away from his embrace. They each took Riley by one of her hands and led her into the bathroom. Klaus propped Riley up on her little step stool so she could see the mirror and reach the sink while she brushed her teeth. They each applied their toothpaste and made sure to brush their teeth for three minutes and rinse thoroughly. Riley always loved to gurgle the water, she said it felt silly on her tongue. The couple bathed Riley together, then while Dave helped their baby girl get into her pajamas, Klaus took a quick shower to help release the tension in his sore muscles. Once done, he quickly towel dried his hair and slipped into some cozy pajama bottoms before tiredly shuffling back into the living room to relieve Dave who had been somehow finagled into playing even more with their little princess.

“Come on, Princess, it’s time for bed,” Klaus took Riley by her hand and led her into her bedroom. She’d been upgraded to her own bedroom now; the walls were painted violet, her favorite color. Her bed was filled to the brim with stuffed animals, but front and center was the stuffed elephant, Mr. Snugglesworth, that Dave had brought her home when she was just a baby. This was the third spare room in Ben’s—no, Klaus had to keep reminding himself, this was _their_ home. Even after four years of living there, it was still hard for Klaus to accept this place as his own, but Ben would always assure him that it absolutely was just as much Klaus, Dave and Riley’s home as it was Ben’s. After all, they were _his_ family, too. Besides, Ben didn’t want them to leave. He loved the added company of his brother, his adorable niece, and Dave, who had quickly become one of his best friends. He didn’t want to live alone in a big empty house, when his family brought so much warmth, life and _love_ into the home. He didn’t want the joy within these walls to leave or fade away, so he asked them to please, _stay_. Of course, how could they say no? Riley had been raised there practically since her birth, there were so many beautiful memories they’d all created there, and they couldn’t imagine being anywhere other than right here, living as a family in the walls that brought them all together. This had always been their home, and now it forever would be. Riley crawled onto her bed and Klaus tucked her in before sitting beside his little girl on the edge of her mattress. She continued to hold onto her daddy’s fingers, and Klaus gently ran his thumb over the delicate skin of her tiny hand. He leant over his daughter and kissed her on her cheek before he started to sing, their nightly ritual he’d continued since the day she was born.

“ _Goodnight my angel, time to close your eyes, and save these questions for another day. I think I know what you’ve been asking me, I think you know what I’ve been trying to say. I promised I would never leave you. Then you should always know, wherever you may go, no matter where you are, I never will be far away. Goodnight my angel, now it’s time to sleep. And still so many things I want to say. Remember all the songs you sang to me, when we went sailing on an emerald bay. And like a boat out on the ocean, I’m rocking you to sleep. The water’s dark and deep, inside this ancient heart, you’ll always be a part of me. Goodnight my angel, now it’s time to dream, and dream how wonderful your life will be. Someday your child may cry, and if you sing this lullaby then in your heart there will always be a part of me. Someday we’ll all be gone, but lullabies go on and on, they never die, that’s how you and I will be_.” Klaus pressed his nose to Riley’s, nuzzling close before kissing her cheek. She smiled at her daddy, craning up to kiss his lips before hugging Mr. Snugglesworth to her chest and closing her eyes. Klaus ran his fingers through her curls and just watched his little angel for a few minutes longer. Making sure she was all tucked in comfortably for the night, he squeezed her hand one last time before rising to his feet and tip-toeing out of her room. He smiled at his baby girl, before closing the door to let her sleep.

When he opened their bedroom door Dave was sitting up in bed, glasses on his face and a book in his hand patiently awaiting Klaus’s arrival. He smiled, thumbing a bookmark in place before he put the novel and his spectacles on the bedside table. Klaus smiled, wasting no time crawling onto the mattress and snuggling up as close as he could to his husband, who eagerly wrapped his arms around Klaus in a warm embrace. Klaus allowed his body to melt against Dave’s broad chest, all of his tension easing from his muscles as Dave stroked his fingers through Klaus’s curls. His eyes fluttered, and he was quickly losing the battle to stay awake. 

Dave smiled against Klaus’s hairline, delicately planting a kiss against his curls before pressing his cheek flush against his scalp as he wrapped his arms tighter around him in a hug, “How are you feeling, darlin? This was a really long day for you…”

Klaus hummed tiredly, nuzzling himself closer against Dave’s chest, “M’tired, and a little sore, but m’fine. I had fun, today was beautiful, really.” He tilted his chin up to peer into Dave’s ocean blue eyes and he smiled, “I love you.”

Dave pressed his lips to Klaus’s, “I love you, too.” 

The couple continued to cuddle each other, intertwining their legs together beneath the sheets. Dave rubbed Klaus’s back, and peppered his face with kisses, while Klaus giggled softly at his touch. Klaus kissed Dave’s chest, then the scar against his shoulder, before finding enough energy to pave a path of kisses up his neck and jawline, his hands roaming over his husband's physique, allowing himself to inch towards intimacy. 

Dave couldn't stifle his laughter at Klaus’s sudden eagerness, “I thought you would be too tired for all of this.”

“Oh, I’m never too tired for a little hanky panky with my hubby,” he smirked, pressing his lips to Dave’s. They continued to kiss for quite some time, enjoying the passion blossoming between them. 

Dave pulled away and pecked Klaus’s lips, then his cheek, then his neck before he paused, “Do you ever wish we could have another?” Klaus hummed as he opened his eyes. He pressed his palm flat against his husband’s chest, pressing himself away to look Dave in his eyes as he continued, “You know, give Riley a little sister or a brother.”

Klaus laid flat on his back, his lips twitching into a broad smile as his shoulders hitched with a subtle giggle, “Well, you know,” he began, laying his palm flat against his belly and rubbing in tiny circles, “I don’t know that I’d have much luck getting pregnant, but that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t mind trying.” He wiggled his eyebrows before rolling himself over to straddle across Dave’s lap. Dave couldn’t contain his laughter as he pressed his lips to Klaus’s, his hands settling at his husband’s hips as they deepened their kiss. The subtle creaking coming from the door partially swinging open caught both men by surprise and Klaus slid himself off of Dave, laying on his side resuming a casual stance as he faced the intruder. Both men smiled at the perfectly innocent face who greeted them from their doorway.

“Daddy,” Riley’s precious voice whispered, her big blue eyes were staring back at them, her little hands clutching at the handle as she peered around the lip of the door. Dave laughed and straightened, patting the mattress between himself and Klaus while Klaus opened his arms, welcoming his daughter into them as she bound across the room to join them in bed. Like clockwork, this happened every night. Riley always preferred to snuggle with her daddy’s, she simply didn’t like to ever be apart. Truthfully, if both men were completely honest with themselves, neither did they. Riley positioned herself snugly between her two daddy’s, cuddling herself against Klaus’s bare chest as both men encircled their arms around their little girl in a warm embrace.

“I think we have the best baby we could ever wish for right here,” Dave said as he ran his fingers through Riley’s curls before kissing her cheek. Klaus hummed in agreement, cuddling himself closer to his little angel as he laid his cheek atop her head.

“I couldn’t agree more.” Klaus and Dave each pressed a kiss to their baby girl’s cheeks before they all closed their eyes, nuzzling ever closer, arms wound around one another in a tight embrace. The perfect little family fell asleep together, all bundled within each other's loving arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to ObliqueOptimism and anielle for all of their help on this story! I appreciate you guys so much! 
> 
> I hope that you all enjoy! :)


	2. I Wanna Soak Up The Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter guys! Sorry for making you wait! I’m writing chapter 4 now so there shouldn’t be a break again for a while! I promise I’ll try to stick to my weekly Friday update schedule!!
> 
> Shoutout to ObliqueOptimism and anielle for all of their help with this story!!! Y’all are amazing!!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!! :)

The little family’s morning started like any other typical day for them. Klaus awoke first, rolling onto his side to kiss Dave awake, before kissing Riley and singing to help wheedle her out of her slumber. They stayed cuddled together in bed for a little while longer than usual that morning; Klaus was still feeling rather tired after their busy day from yesterday, and needed just a few more minutes to allow his body to recover. No one minded the additional time, though. Dave trailed his fingers up and down Klaus’s back to help release the tension from his sore muscles, while Riley admired her daddy’s face, telling him how pretty his eyes were; her tiny hands exploring his tired features. Klaus smiled, pulling his baby girl’s hands into his own and kissed her open palms. He nuzzled his nose to hers, their happy expressions mirroring each other’s while they marveled in this precious moment shared between just the two of them. Riley kissed her daddy’s nose, and Klaus kissed her cheek while Dave just held them both within his strong, loving arms.

“Who’s hungry?” Dave asked, breaking the silence. He sat up in bed, stretching his arms above his head with a loud yawn before peeling the blankets away from their frames. Riley excitedly bound from the mattress, eager to begin her day. She was always willing to bend to Klaus’s needs and allow him to rest whenever necessary, but their little princess was just ready to have some _fun_. Dave smiled, making their baby girl giggle when he ruffled her curls as he slipped past her to assist her daddy. He was at Klaus’s side immediately, offering his love a hand to get out of bed. It took him a minute, but slowly Klaus was finally able to raise onto his feet. Klaus was grateful for Dave’s assistance; he was definitely feeling the lasting effects from the previous day, he was sore, and still tired yet, but he wasn’t going to let that slow him down. The couple lingered there for a moment, holding onto each other and sharing a chaste kiss, before the family shuffled out of their bedroom together to enjoy their breakfast. 

Klaus helped Riley get settled onto one of the stools at the kitchen island before sliding himself onto the seat beside hers. Propping his elbows on the counter, he smiled at his little girl, reaching out to thrum his fingers beneath her chin. Riley giggled loudly, tucking her chin against her chest while swatting her hands at her daddy’s unsolicited touch as she tried desperately to escape from his unrelenting tickling.

“No, daddy! It’s too early for tickles!” she squealed, her tiny body squirming as she tried to get away. 

Klaus gasped as he continued to strum his fingers against her delicate skin. “Blasphemy! It’s never too early for tickling!” Riley continued to writhe in her seat; their unrestrained giggling trumpeting throughout the house. Klaus finally relented, giving them both the opportunity to regain their breath from their cackling fit. Klaus stroked his fingers through Riley’s curls, and he couldn’t help but to _smile_. His little angel's happiness was always the highlight of his day; he loved watching her features light up with joy every morning and making her laugh. Klaus leaned tiredly against the counter, pressing his palm flush against his chest while he continued to focus, slowing down his breathing. While he was enjoying this special play time with his little girl, Klaus could tell it was far too early for him to allow himself to get so riled up like this; his heartbeat was pulsating wildly, he could _feel_ that it was time for them to try to settle down.

“So,” he began, “what’s on the menu for today?” Klaus asked, massaging his fingertips against his sternum in an attempt to help soothe his rampaging heart.

Dave’s lips quirked into a crooked grin, “I was thinking eggs, sweet potato hash and turkey bacon - your favorite, darlin.” he winked. Klaus huffed, rolling his eyes. Turkey bacon was the absolute _bane_ of his existence. Well, okay, not really. It was _alright_ , but he missed the salty satisfaction that one could only get from the _real_ thing.

“Mmm,” he started sardonically, clenching his teeth, “sounds delicious.”

Dave snickered. “Yeah, I thought you might like that.” He leaned over the counter, stealing a quick kiss from his pouting husband before he continued to tend to their meal.

Klaus yawned, arching his back in a stretch before settling himself against the counter. Riley was singing one of her favorite Disney songs, ‘Where You Are’ from Moana while wiggling around in her chair and dancing along to the upbeat tune. Klaus smiled adoringly while he observed his little girl; he would have liked to say he didn’t know where Riley got all of her energy from, but the answer was obvious. She was _definitely_ her father's daughter. Sure, she was rambunctious, but what four year old wouldn't be? Any given day Riley possessed enough energy inside her tiny little body to power their entire neighborhood block, but she was _so much more_ than that. From birth, Riley had always been an outgoing people-person. She loved interacting with people, learning their life stories, and building strong connections with anyone she met, no matter how long she’d known them for. She could meet any random person at the park with Klaus and instantly have them wrapped around her tiny little finger with her effervescent kind soul. Her positive energy was nearly infectious; she always had a way about her, a gift for making people smile, or laugh, and bringing joy wherever she went. Klaus was proud to know that his daughter’s heart was filled with so much _love_. 

Klaus remembered when his _own_ energy was wild, and carefree - just like hers. He was honored to see this was a trait he so evidently shared with his daughter. Klaus certainly still had his days where his energy was still palpable, bold enough where you could almost bundle it together in it’s own parcel to share with the world like a gift. Since being diagnosed with his heart condition, however, he’d definitely been forced to settle down quite a bit. He was perfectly fine with that, though. Riley had enough exuberance for the both of them.

“Here, darlin,” Dave pulled Klaus from his thoughts, setting a glass of water on the counter in front of him. Klaus eagerly accepted the cool beverage before Dave offered him his medication. “Enjoy your appetizer, breakfast should be ready in a few minutes.” he winked, handing Riley a cup of orange juice. 

Klaus pressed his palms together in thanks before collecting the pills between his fingertips. Placing them on his tongue, he shot them back with a single swig of water, and grimaced. Klaus _hated_ taking his medication. Not because he didn’t like popping pills, but because he _used_ to love it so much. He hated the familiarity of it; the sensations, and memories that assaulted him every morning he was forced to ingest his myriad of medications - more than anything, he hated that he had to rely on them so prevalently. Klaus didn’t understand his luck; why he, of all people, had to be cursed to live his life under the constant looming shadow of fear due to his condition. Knowing that these stupid little pills were the only thing keeping his heart functioning; keeping him _alive_ , and well enough to be able to be there for his daughter was enough to break his heart. Of course the fearfulness he felt was always present: what if he skipped a dose, what would happen? _Or worse_ , what if the medication just stopped working? He’d been an addict nearly his entire life, he knew how over time your body could develop a tolerance towards a medication, what made this one any different? 

_Was it any different?_

The grating sound of porcelain scraping against the quartz countertops snapped Klaus out of his depressive thoughts. “Bon appetit!” Dave said with a smile, sliding Klaus’s breakfast in front of him. Klaus’s lips quirked into a crooked grin, his gaze trailing to his plate. It looked delicious; the eggs were cooked to perfection, fluffy and pillowy soft. The turkey bacon cooked until crisp, nearly burnt, the only way Klaus could stomach it, and the sweet potato hash looked amazing, per usual. There was a fresh fruit salad of melons and assorted berries, and a slice of whole grain toast that was cut into four little triangles, just the way Klaus preferred. His lips curved into a smile and he thanked Dave for providing them with such a wonderful meal. Klaus lifted his fork, reaching to stab it into one of the juicy blackberries when the plate was suddenly wrenched away from before him. Klaus’s lashes fluttered in confusion when his fork clanked not into his food, but the countertop, instead. What in the world?

“Wow, this looks great,” Ben said as he shoveled a piece of cantaloupe into his mouth, “Mm, so juicy! Glad I won’t have to stop to pick something up, I’m super late for class!”

Klaus’s jaw dropped, eyebrows climbing towards the ceiling. “Hey, that’s mine!” he pouted, throwing his hands up in frustration. Dave and Riley couldn’t contain their laughter; Klaus just looked so pitiful, and Ben looked hilarious with his cheeks ballooned out like a chipmunk. The two brothers would do this every morning, or something similar to it, anyways. Provoke, and tease one another. They certainly were no strangers to the inner workings of a classic sibling relationship.

“Sorry, can’t talk right now, late for class,” Ben declared, purposely ignoring his brother’s claims while hurriedly scuttling towards the front door. He suddenly halted in his tracks, before swiveling on his heels. “Oh, wait. I almost forgot!” snapping his fingers, Ben advanced towards Riley and kissed the top of his niece’s head. She giggled, wrapping her arms around her uncle in a quick goodbye hug which he returned, squeezing her tightly against his chest in a suffocating embrace, causing the little girl to squirm. Ben released his niece and turned, quickly striding past his brother, roughly tousling his fingers through his curls in passing. Klaus growled lowly in his throat, ducking his head away from Ben’s obnoxious touch. Klaus summoned as much wrath as he could conjure from deep within his soul and focused that angry energy into a scowl he shot his currently most irritating sibling. Ben merely returned a cocky smirk, plopping a raspberry into his mouth before waving goodbye to his family. Ben winked at Klaus, sticking his tongue out at his brother before finally leaving for class and swiftly closing the door behind himself.

“Rude!” Klaus exclaimed, peering to Dave then Riley with wide eyes. “Can you believe that? Your uncle Benny just robbed me of my healthy, nutritious breakfast! Now your daddy’s going to _starve!_ ” Riley cupped her tiny palms to her mouth to try to stifle her giggling.

“Don’t be such a drama queen, babe,” Dave laughed, sliding another plate of breakfast in front of his husband. “Now, eat up.” 

Dave joined his family at the kitchen island, sandwiching Riley between himself and Klaus. The sound of chatter in the air grew silent, replaced by cutlery scraping against porcelain and the muted hum of chewing as they all enjoyed their breakfast together. Klaus had a few bites of his eggs, and a couple of chunks of fruit, but he honestly still just wasn’t very hungry. He knew he would be feeling rather tired after their busy day yesterday, but he would have thought his appetite would have returned to normal by now. Simply unable to force himself to take another bite, he opted to cradle his glass of water to his lips instead, taking tiny occasional sips. Sighing, Klaus closed his eyes. He was well aware this was nothing for him to worry about, in fact, he knew he was perfectly fine; loss of appetite after a bustling day was normal for him, especially since his diagnosis. Plus, it wasn’t like he hadn’t eaten anything at all. Surely, his appetite would return come lunch time, and he could just eat more then. Besides, he’d certainly eaten enough to tide himself over for now. Sliding his plate away and running his palm down his belly, Klaus turned his attention to his daughter.

“So, princess, what beautiful adventure would you like to go on today? We could go to the park, _oh_ , or maybe—”

Riley interrupted her father, simply unable to contain her excitement. “Daddy, could we go to the beach today?”

“ _The beach?_ ” Klaus asked, pinching his eyebrows together in uncertainty by her request.

“Yes! The beach! Oh please, daddy! Please?” Riley begged, clasping her tiny hands together with her infamous puppy dog pout; another trait she shared with her father. Klaus wasn’t sure that going to the beach would be the wisest decision. Typically, they would avoid going there, as walking in sand tended to be too difficult on his heart. In fact, they only ever _would_ venture to the beach on days when Klaus was functioning at his peak capabilities of strength, and _even then_ it was questionable at best, he found that it was _still_ far too strenuous for him. The idea of all of that added stress, especially today, since he was still feeling a bit run down from yesterday, definitely made him feel a little nervous. He didn’t want to risk triggering a _bad day_ ; but when he looked at his daughter’s perfect little face, she just looked so excited. Klaus couldn’t bring himself to say no…

“Of course, princess. I think a beach day sounds like a _great_ idea,” he smiled, combing his fingers through his little angel’s tight ringlet curls as she cheered. “Let's go play in the sand and soak up some sun!”

* * *

The unmistakable scent of salty sea spray flooded Klaus’s senses as he strolled down the length of the shoreline; his bare feet sinking into the warm sand. The heat from the sun overhead bore down against his skin, and despite his best efforts to cake himself in sunblock, Klaus knew with his fair complexion he inevitably would still burn, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Riley’s laughter resounded all around him, mixing with the sound of the ocean’s waves crashing against the coast. He adjusted his gaze to watch his little girl, and he couldn’t conceal his smile. Riley was chasing the waves as they retreated back into the sea, before they would come racing towards the shore once again. The sound of her tiny feet pounding against the shallow waters and her squeals of laughter as Dave chased her into the sea foam filled his soul with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

“Daddy! Come play with us!” Riley’s voice sang like an angel to his ears, beckoning him to join them in their merriment. 

Klaus smiled longingly at his little girl. The beach was just barely under an hour drive from their house, and upon their arrival there they’d spent a good thirty minutes setting up a small safe haven for them to be able to retreat to throughout their stay. It had an umbrella to shade them from the sun, a cooler stocked with water and snacks, as well as a beach bag with toys and necessities. Klaus was sure to coat Riley and Dave in copious amounts of sunblock to protect them from the harsh rays of the sun, before Dave lathered him in it, as well. They’d spent a few hours there already; the little family wading out into the ocean to spend time together on the sandbar. The water wasn’t very deep, the warm waves subtly lapping just below Klaus’s hips, but they found that it was the perfect depth for Riley to swim. She was a strong swimmer, the couple invested in swimming lessons at a local public pool when she showed an interest in learning; and they all agreed it was money well spent. Klaus always referred to her as his little guppy, she just loved being in the water so much. 

They swam in the ocean, played frisbee, and walked the shore collecting seashells together before Dave taught them both how to fly a kite, something Klaus had never been privileged enough to learn growing up. It had been a lovely low impact activity type of day, which Klaus was thankful for. Come lunchtime they gathered beneath the large canopy of their umbrella for some shade while they enjoyed their meals; Dave packed himself and Riley turkey sandwiches on pumpernickel bread, Riley’s favorite, and Klaus tuna salad with whole grain crackers and baby carrots. Like he predicted, his appetite was _much_ better than before. He sipped at his water bottle, eating the majority of his meal, but even still he was unable to finish it. 

Klaus couldn’t believe how _exhausted_ he was feeling today. His body was stiff, and he felt so run down. Klaus knew he would feel tired after their busy day from yesterday, but adding this unexpected field trip to the beach only aided in making him feel progressively _worse_. So when Riley asked him to come play with her, he had to really evaluate himself: could his heart handle that much activity? Of course, whenever it came to pleasing his little girl, there was only ever one answer.

Klaus raced towards his daughter and husband with a broad smile stretching across his features. He chased them into the waves, his feet splashing through the warm water that pooled around his ankles. Riley’s squeals of joy filled the air as she hurriedly sprinted behind Dave in an attempt to get away from her daddy, but both men worked together in snatching their little princess up into their arms and tickling her. Riley squirmed around in Dave’s grasp, her sea dampened curls spilling like a waterfall from her high ponytail, the tips of her dark tendrils of hair barely brushing against Dave’s forearm as he held her. Klaus kissed his little girl’s nose before Dave set her down and they continued their chase down the coastline. The tide was low, so their bare feet pounded against densely packed sand before they dashed back into the water. Klaus reached down, scooping his ‘Hello’ palm below the surface of the sea, flicking his wrist and sending a torrent of salty ocean spray towards his little family. Dave held his arms up to shield his face in protest, unable to contain his laughter that bellowed from deep within his belly. Riley giggled, kneeling down and scooping both of her tiny palms into the ocean to mimic her father’s actions, flinging round after round of water towards her daddy. Dave joined them in the festivities, and they embarked on a splashing war, soaking each other from the top of their heads, to the tips of their toes. Dave and Riley ganged up on Klaus, pelting him with heavy droplets from the sea. He laughed heartily, holding his hands up to blockade their attack to no avail. When Klaus realized there was no way for him to thwart their efforts, he pivoted, bolting from the water and up the embankment, his feet sinking into the deep, loose sand as he ran. His daughter and husband followed closely behind him, chasing him down the beach as he tried ducking behind empty fold-up chairs and unsuspecting beach goers to evade them. Their laughter was contagious, and Klaus’s heart swelled with so much joy. Being here, like this, having _fun_ with his little girl and his loving husband made Klaus feel so incredibly _happy_ , he never wanted this beautiful moment to end.

But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, eventually. All of that running in the deep sand left Klaus feeling incredibly winded. He could feel his heart pounding wildly within his chest, beating erratically against his ribcage almost _painfully_ ; he knew he needed to sit down and allow it to rest. Klaus’s pace slowed to a sudden stop and he ran his palm down his sternum, bracing his free hand against his upper thigh when he doubled over. His chest was heaving as he tried desperately to draw air into his oxygen deprived lungs.

Dave realized Klaus was slowing down and was instantly at his side, “Babe, are you alright?” he asked, running his palm over the small of his back.

Klaus closed his eyes as he struggled to breathe. Swallowing his saliva, he nodded; pushing himself off his thigh to compose himself. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he assured breathily before he turned to Dave, a delicate smile creeping across his features. “You two keep playing, I’m just going to sit down for a few minutes, rest the old ticker.” he chuckled between breaths, gingerly massaging his chest. 

Klaus kissed Dave’s cheek before waving his hands in the air dismissively, shooing him off to run along and play. Dave was hesitant to leave Klaus in such a state, but ultimately he agreed. Kissing Klaus’s forehead, he turned to rejoin their little girl, chasing her up and down the length of the shoreline once again. Klaus smiled while he continued watching them for a few minutes longer, simply marveling in the ambiance of their joy as their laughter wafted throughout the atmosphere, when his heart unexpectedly began to flutter; something it tended to do whenever he pushed himself too hard. Klaus feared that this may happen, and decided it would be in his best interest if he sat down for a few minutes to allow his heart to recuperate from all of the arduous activity. Klaus sat down, folding his legs beneath him. He closed his eyes, and focused on taking deep, steadying breaths in through his nose and out through his mouth; just the way his doctor had taught him to for instances such as these. The sun was unbelievably hot, bearing down against his skin and heating the sand beneath him, causing it to burn the exposed skin of his ankles. Klaus dug his toes into the sand, burrowing his feet below the surface layer until he hit the sweet spot just above where the land met the sea. Now that Klaus was resting, his fatigue was catching up to him again, he just felt so _tired_. Perhaps, he thought, laying down while he caught his breath wouldn’t be such a bad idea? 

Slowly, Klaus eased his weary body down, wincing when the hot sand clung to the sensitive skin on his slick back. Klaus lacked the energy to care about the discomfort it caused him, though. Instead, he laced his fingers together, folding his arms across his heaving chest as he continued trying desperately to pull in his next breath. The sun was high in the sky and damn near blindingly bright, so he closed his eyes in an attempt to block it’s intense glare. As he laid there, Klaus could feel the heat against his skin, working to dry the salt water away from his flesh. He could feel his cheeks beginning to burn and idly wondered if he should reapply more sunblock, but he simply didn’t have the energy to at the moment. Klaus’s breathing had finally calmed to a normal pace, and he found himself to finally feel comfortable, sprawled atop the sand like it was his own personal mattress; the sunlight filtering through his closed eyelids and painting his vision with a burnt orange radiant glow. As more time passed by Klaus could feel his energy fade as his consciousness slowly started to slip away.

Suddenly, the sun was gone; obstructed by an unexpected darkness. Confused, Klaus peeled his eyes open into slits and was met by the curious smile of his little girl who was propped on Dave’s hip. Dave’s own expression was pinched with worry, his looming figure casting a shadow across Klaus’s prone form. Not wanting to alarm his husband, Klaus forced his lips to curve into a warm grin.

“Daddy,” Riley started, her arms wrapped snugly around Dave’s neck, “were you napping?”

“ _Napping?_ ” Klaus parroted, voice pitched in a comical tone, “Why, I sure wasn’t, princess. Goodness, you two have no faith in your dear old daddy. I was simply making sand angels,” he explained, waving his arms and legs against the sand to do just that. Riley giggled as she watched.

Klaus smiled adoringly as he admired his little girl, he would never get over how much his heart would fill with such warmth at the beautiful sound of her angelic laughter. Planting his palms firmly against the sand, Klaus groaned when he slowly leveraged himself upright. Now that he was vertical, the world around him tilted dangerously, making him feel dizzy when his heart started fluttering once again. Klaus found that he was incredibly lightheaded all of a sudden; in an attempt to combat the uncomfortable feeling, he closed his eyes and exhaled a long sigh. Klaus _hated_ whenever he would feel this way, surely he must have sat up too quickly, or maybe it was simply because he was so tired? Klause determined he’d better not stand up just yet since he was feeling rather woozy, but rather allow his heart a little while longer to rest.

Klaus plastered on a smile and peered keenly at his daughter. “Say, princess, what do you say you and I sit down here for a little while and build a sand castle together?”

“Oooh, how do we do that?” Riley asked inquisitively before Dave set her down and she scampered over to Klaus, plopping onto her bottom beside her father. Klaus wrapped his arms around his little girl, kissing the top of her chocolate tinged curls before peering to Dave who took the cue to go fetch their bag with their beach toys. As they waited for Dave’s return, Klaus returned his attention to his daughter. He smiled, tucking a wind blown curl behind her ear. 

“To build a sandcastle, all you need is sand and water—” Klaus began to explain.

“But how?” Riley interrupted. “It’s just sand, how does it not fall apart?”

“Well,” Klaus started, leaning closer to his little girl. “You know how we like to color together, and draw?”

“Yeah,” Riley nodded eagerly, crawling into her daddy’s lap. 

Klaus exhaled a half suppressed laugh while he wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, nuzzling his nose to hers causing his angel to giggle before he continued. “The sand is just like that,” he dug his ‘Hello’ palm into the loose granular substance, cupping the sand into his palm before allowing it to slip through the gaps between his fingers. “It’s just another form of canvas, like paper; and you and I are the medium, like a crayon, or a pencil. You can make anything in the sand, princess.”

“Anything?” Riley questioned, mouth agape and blue eyes wide in astonishment. 

Klaus chuckled heartily, “Anything! Sculptures, sand castles, you can make an angel like daddy just did, or sand men; you can even just draw in it, see?” Using his open palm, Klaus waved his hand atop the surface of the sand beside him, flattening it down to create a blank canvas. Using his index finger, he drew a continual swirling line, forming the shape of a large heart. With bold, rough scrawl since he was using his non-dominant hand, Klaus filled the center of the shape with a simple phrase that meant more to him than his little girl would ever know; ‘Klaus Loves Riley’.

“Wow!” Riley exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands together and pressing them to her chest. “I wanna build the best sandcastle ever!” With impeccable timing, Dave returned with the necessities for them to build their sand castle, even bringing a pail filled with water to help them dampen the sand. Klaus smiled, thanking him before his husband took a seat a few feet behind them so that he could watch their creation enfold.

“Well, then let’s get to work!”

Klaus demonstrated the proper way to build a sandcastle—well, not _proper_ , there is no proper way to have fun, but he showed Riley the basic fundamentals of wetting the sand and forming it into whatever shapes or patterns they so desired. They started small; Klaus using their cornucopia of moulds to press the dampened sand into, creating tiny structures until they closely resembled a castle. Once Riley had the hang of things, he taught his little girl how to ‘free hand’, mounding the sand into a pile and using his natural utensils he always possessed - his fingers, to shape and construct an all new creation. With precise motions, and tedious work, the unrecognizable heap slowly began to form and take shape. Klaus dragged his palms over the mound, smoothing any uneven or rough edges, before using small decorative shells that were scattered around them to embellish the figure. When complete, Riley couldn’t contain her excitement.

“A sea turtle! Daddy, it’s so pretty! It looks so real! Oh, wow, I can’t believe you made that!” Riley’s expression was beaming, thoroughly impressed by her daddy’s artistic abilities. Klaus couldn’t hide his smile as he watched his daughter’s face light up looking at his creation. 

Art had always been something Klaus found joy in ever since he was a small child. Growing up, it was a means for him to escape from his hellish reality for a little while. Before he was introduced to the influence of drugs and alcohol, art was his only form of sanctuary; he could lock himself within his room and draw on his walls, or sketch on a pad and suddenly all of his fears would melt away. Klaus always told himself, who needed therapy for their pain when drawing, or any form of art always managed to make him feel happy? He was just proud that his little girl was able to _skip the pain_ but still be able to enjoy art alongside him; clearly, their love for all things artistic was another trait that they shared.

“Aw, thank you princess!” Klaus smiled, running his palm down her back and kissing her cheek.”Your daddy used to be quite the artist in his younger years.”

“You still are, daddy! That looks so real!” Riley proclaimed, pointing at the life-size sea turtle sculpture Klaus molded from thin air. He couldn’t contain his chuckle, or the warmth that flooded his cheeks at his little girl’s excitement. 

“Thank you, baby,” Klaus leaned forward, pulling Riley into a tight embrace and kissed her curls when his gaze trailed to his husband. Dave was laying sprawled out flat against the sand, mouth agape and eyes fluttering beneath closed lids. He’d clearly fallen asleep while laying in the sun. A devilish grin crept up the corner of Klaus’s lips when an idea popped into his head.

“Riley,” Klaus whispered to garner his daughter’s attention, “Shh, do you see your daddy Davey?” he asked, pointing towards his husband. 

Riley whipped around to look at her second father and smiled, bobbing her head enthusiastically in a nod. “He’s asleep!” she stated loudly. 

“Shh, shh,” Klaus giggled, holding his index finger up to his lips to silence her. “Yes, he is. What do you say we do something fun?” Riley nodded eagerly. “Okay, perfect. Just stay quiet and follow my lead.”

Using the stealth of a ninja, Klaus began gathering their utensils into his arms, signaling Riley to do the same. His eyes darted around them to be sure no one was watching them; not that it would matter, it wasn’t like they were planning anything illegal, before the father daughter duo crawled on their hands and knees over to Dave to carry out their surreptitious act. Depositing their goods around Dave’s prone frame, Klaus reminded Riley to stay quiet once more before he began to dampen the sand surrounding his love’s body, then heaping it onto his legs. Dave had always been a deep sleeper, so Klaus was pleased to find he didn’t so much as flinch at their actions. Riley helped her daddy, taking tiny fistfuls of sand and placing it atop the multitudinous amounts of sand he’d already plastered, before patting it down with her little palms. Truthfully, Klaus did most of the hard manual labor, but he still couldn’t help but to smile watching his daughter take great pleasure in assisting her daddy bury Dave in the sand. Once he found that there was enough sand mounded over his husband, he got to work sculpting it around him, and the real fun began. Riley watched in awe as Klaus manipulated and shaped the sand into a design, slowly carving out the shape of an elaborate tail, successfully turning his husband into a merman. Using his fingertips, he scalloped out the shape of each individual scale, and the lines streaking down the length of each fin. Finally, using two large shells Riley scoured from the beach earlier, Klaus laid the finishing touch atop his husband’s chest, a seashell bra. Throughout the entire process, Klaus had to keep pausing to stifle Riley’s and his own laughter. It was comical, really, Dave as a merman was quite the spectacle, even the other beachgoers agreed, taking pictures and smiling as they’d pass them by. 

Now that his masterpiece was complete, Klaus wasted no time in hurriedly grabbing Dave’s phone from their beach bag to quickly snap a picture of Dave in all of his merman glory. Smiling fondly, he waved Riley over to come sit down next to him. She scurried over quickly, squatting next to her daddy while he wrapped his arm around her waist. 

“Let’s take a silly picture for your daddy Davey to wake up to, okay?” he said with a broad smile. Riley giggled and complied. Looking at the camera on Dave’s phone, the pair contorted their features for a memorable selfie. Klaus stuck out his tongue, his eyebrows reaching towards the clouds, while Riley proceeded to puff out her cheeks like a puffer fish and crossed her eyes. Klaus snapped the photo and the two of them began to laugh. “Okay, okay, one more.” Klaus stated through his giggling.

Klaus kissed his lips to his little girl’s cheek and Riley couldn’t hide her beaming smile. He blew a raspberry, causing his angel to squeal with laughter. She pressed her palm against her daddy’s cheek while she cupped her free hand just below her own chin. Klaus snapped the photo, just in time, really, as Dave had just begun to stir. The pair turned to face Dave, and his eyes fluttered open, his gaze trailing to his newfound tail.

“What the—“ Dave began as he started to sit up.

Caught up in the moment, Klaus grabbed Riley by her hand hauling them both up onto their feet before shouting, “Run!”

Klaus and Riley dashed as fast as their legs could carry them away from Dave just as he burst out of the sand. He chased them down the shoreline, the pair dodging to evade his grasp; their laughter carrying throughout the air as it crashed like waves against the shore. They both were quick, but Dave was faster, though, eventually catching up to them when they ran out of land and began wading out into the ocean, just as the tide began to rise and the sun started it’s descent towards the horizon, bathing the sky in a beautiful pink and scarlet glow. Klaus gathered Riley against his chest and Dave wrapped his arms around Klaus’s waist, pulling them both into his loving arms. The little family held onto each other, chortling hysterically while heaving to catch their breath. Klaus’s chest felt tight from laughter, and having fun. For once, it was a welcome pain, he loved his family and just having the opportunity to be so overwhelmingly _happy_. 

Dave gently tugged his little family alongside him back towards the coast, their feet meeting warm dry sand as they started their long journey to head home. They’d been there nearly all day; the sun was beginning to set, and Klaus could really feel himself starting to slow down. All of the strenuous activity from today bundled together with their busy day from yesterday left Klaus feeling ragged and unbearably _tired_. He hated to admit it, but his heart couldn’t wait any longer, he needed to sit down, at least for a few minutes. Without so much as a word, Klaus allowed his body to collapse onto the beach. Bracing his hands against the sand, Klaus’s palms sprawled out flat to either side of himself to hold him upright. He closed his eyes, tilting his head back and just absorbed the feeling of the cool ocean breeze tousling his curls. Dave wasted no time sitting down beside him, wrapping his arm around his love’s waist. Klaus opened his eyes and shifted his gaze toward Dave's stunning blue’s and he _smiled_. No words were spoken between the couple, but they didn’t need to be; Dave knew Klaus needed a moment to relax, and Klaus appreciated his husband’s undying support and love. Klaus rested his head against Dave’s shoulder, taking the opportunity to nuzzle into the warm nook beneath his chin. Dave kissed his temple before resting his cheek atop his love’s curls. Riley sat between Klaus’s legs, lounging against his tummy, her arm laying across Dave’s lap. They sat there bundled together in each other’s embrace, their eyes watching the horizon shift, and morph into glorious hues of pinks, oranges and purples while they enjoyed watching the sunset together as a _family_.

* * *

Upon their arrival home, the smell of dinner being prepared wafted through the air, bombarding their senses with a pleasant scent. Dave smiled, knowing that tonight he was off the hook for cooking; a welcome break after such a long, tiresome day. Ben greeted them at the door and instantly pulled Riley into his arms, kissing his niece's cheek. She giggled when he exaggeratedly sniffed her skin, rooting his nose against her flesh making little oinking sounds like a pig. “You smell like saltwater, honey bee!”

“We just spent the entire day at the beach, Benny,” Klaus informed his brother, slowly settling himself onto one of the stools at the kitchen island. Propping his elbow on the counter, Klaus rested his cheek against his palm and sighed tiredly, closing his eyes. Dave sat at the stool beside him and rubbed his husband’s shoulders to work out his stiff muscles. Klaus moaned, relaxing into his tender touch.

“Jesus, you look burnt, Klaus. Your cheeks look like a lobster!” Ben noted, laughing when he took in Klaus’s reddened appearance. 

“ _Pshyea_ , hopefully it’s just my cheeks!” he said, opening his eyes to meet his brother’s gaze while he gently prodded his fingertips against his sunburned flesh. “Sorry you couldn’t come, bro. Maybe next time?”

Ben nodded, cracking a smile. “Sure, no biggie. I just got home from class not too long ago, myself. Dinner shouldn’t take too much longer. We’re having roasted chicken, salad and cauliflower mash, I hope you brought your appetite!”

The corner of Klaus’s lips tugged into a lopsided grin, “Sounds delicious, Benny. Thanks.” Klaus achingly pushed himself off of the stool, stretching his tired limbs above his head and yawned. “I think we should all get cleaned up for dinner, how does that sound, princess?” he asked, ruffling Riley’s curls. 

Their little girl giggled, taking her father’s hand into her own, “Okie dokie, daddy!”

Klaus and Dave helped Riley take a quick bath, letting her play with her rubber duckies and splash around in the bubbles in the tub for a while before setting her loose on her uncle Benny; giving the couple the opportunity to climb back into the shower for a little private time together. They kept it short; foregoing any foreplay as they both were far too drained for much extracurricular activity after their long day. Dave was sure to spend a little extra time massaging Klaus’s back under the steaming hot spray of the shower head, hoping his efforts and the hot water would help to release the tension he could see his love carrying in his pinched shoulders. Once dressed, they rejoined their daughter and Ben in the dining room.

“Perfect timing,” said Ben, helping Riley finish safely mashing the cauliflower. “Dinner is served!”

The family all set their plates and sat around the dining room table together to enjoy their meal. Once again the room grew silent aside from the sound of forks and knives clanking against their plates. Occasionally, Riley would break the silence to tell her uncle Benny a fun fact from their day; he certainly got a good chuckle when he learned about Dave’s merman experience before they would once again return their focus to their meals. Klaus hardly was able to eat, though. He was much too tired to focus on much of anything else. Just the idea of filling his stomach with so much food right now made him feel almost nauseous. He picked at his salad, taking a bite or two from his mashed cauliflower but ultimately was unable to even consider touching his chicken. His eyelids felt so heavy. Honestly, his entire body did, and he noted his motions were sluggish and weak. He was just so tired. 

Dave observed his husband picking at his meal from his peripherals and frowned, “Klaus, you need to eat.” 

Klaus shook his head, pushing his plate away. “Sorry, I’m just burnt out from all of the sun, it’s kinda ruining my appetite.” he said, closing his eyes and resting his hands across his belly.

“Are you okay?” Dave asked, cupping his love’s cheek. His expression was soft but full of concern.

Klaus smiled reassuringly, nodding his head and taking Dave’s hand into his own. “Baby, I’m perfectly fine, just a little tired. All of that sunshine and sand tend to take a lot out of me, you know that.” he chuckled softly. “I’m just ready for bed.”

Dave nodded, kissing Klaus’s temple. “You can go to sleep now if you want, I can tuck Riley in tonight.”

“No, that’s okay,” Klaus waved his hand flippantly. “Babe, I told you I’m alright, you don’t need to worry about me, I promise, I’m okay. You all just keep eating, don’t let me stop you.”

Dave nodded, giving Klaus’s hand another gentle squeeze before he continued to eat. Calm chatter broke out around the table; more talk about each of their day’s. Even Klaus, tired as he was, chimed in to share a few of the more notable details. The family smiled, and laughed as they relived some of the precious moments for Ben, which made him exclaim how jealous he was for missing out on such a fun-filled day. The conversation eventually shifted, and they began talking about how excited they all were for Riley’s upcoming spring concert that was quickly approaching in just a few days' time. 

Klaus adored how in love his little girl was with every aspect of the arts; and singing had quickly become one of her favorite hobbies. She always explained how she loved listening to her daddy sing, and wanted to be just like him. Klaus, of course, didn’t understand how his terrible voice could spark such a desire within his little girl, he personally hated his own voice and found it to be wildly out of tune, while Riley’s had always been naturally angelic and beautiful from the start. Klaus could not be any more proud of his little girl, she was truly gifted and talented at everything she poured her heart into. Music, coloring, drawing, she had such outstanding talent already at such a young age, he couldn’t wait to watch her grow and be able to experience her sharpening her skills, he knew without a doubt that she would only blossom from here.

“That reminds me,” Klaus interrupted, “Don’t forget, tomorrow we have to meet up with your aunties and uncles to pick out your dress.”

“Yay!” Riley cheered, “Daddy, after can we go to the park?”

“Maybe,” Klaus smiled, taking her tiny hand into his. “We will just have to see how the day goes, okay, princess?”

“Okay! Thank you daddy!”

After dinner, Klaus and Dave cuddled on the couch together while Ben entertained Riley, playing with her while they chased each other around the living room. Klaus couldn’t help but to smile; he didn’t know how she _still_ had so much energy after their long exhausting day. Klaus nuzzled his forehead into the crook of Dave’s neck while his husband carded his fingers through his hair, only managing to help lull him deeper and deeper into a relaxed state. Klaus had to keep prying his eyelids open, fighting off the sleep that tried to claim him but he was just so exhausted, he was quickly losing the battle. 

Dave cupped his cheek, pulling away just enough to peer into his love’s half hooded, sleepy eyes. “I think it’s about time we get you off to bed, yeah?”

Closing his eyes, Klaus hummed tiredly in response. “Mm, yeah. That might not be such a bad idea.”

“Riley,” Dave called, drawing her attention away from her uncle's persistent tickling, “It’s time for bed sweet pea, kiss your uncle Benny goodnight.” 

“Aww,” she pouted, hugging herself closer to her uncle, “Okay, fine. Goodnight uncle Benny, I love you.”

Ben squeezed her close, kissing her cheek, “Goodnight honey bee, I love you, too.”

Dave helped ease Klaus’s weary body off of the couch and the couple approached their little girl together, each of them taking one of her hands into their own. “I got her baby,” Dave insisted, trying to usher Klaus off to bed.

“Dave, this is our tradition, don’t take that from me.” he smirked, gently pulling Riley’s hand out of his husband’s. “Now, don’t be silly, I got her. Go on, I’ll be to bed in a few minutes.” 

“Klaus, it’s been a really long day—” 

“Baby, I’m fine,” Klaus reassured with a soft grin. “I promise I’ll be right in, cross my heart.” he finished, dragging his fingertip in a cross pattern against his chest.

Dave quirked an uncertain grin, but nodded. “Okay, I’ll see you soon, don’t be too long.” he kissed Klaus’s forehead, then Riley’s before heading off to their bedroom.

“Come on, princess, let’s get you to bed.”

They carried out their nightly ritual just as they always did; Klaus brought Riley into her bedroom, flicking on her twinkling lights, bathing the room in a soft ambient lighting that was perfect for sleep. He held her blankets open for her and she crawled onto her mattress, cuddling up with Mr. Snugglesworth and all of her stuffed animal friends before he pulled the blanket up to her chin, tucking her in. Klaus held her hand within his own, running the pad of his thumb delicately over the satiny smooth skin of her tiny little hand as he sang her lullaby to her, just as he had every night since the day she was born. He kissed his baby girl’s forehead, then her cheek, then her nose. Riley giggled, nuzzling against her daddy’s nose before he rose to his feet to allow her to sleep. Klaus had barely made it into the hallways when five tiny little fingers weaved between his own. He turned, meeting his daughter’s precious smiling face, and he couldn’t help but to smile. Klaus squeezed her hand within his own and led her down the hall until they found their way back inside of the bedroom they shared with Dave. Dave chuckled softly when the door opened revealing _both_ of his love’s smiling faces. He smiled, shaking his head while he peeled back the blanket, patting the mattress inviting Riley to join him on the bed. She crawled onto the mattress, followed by Klaus and she curled up between her two daddy’s, instantly snuggling herself closely against Klaus’s chest.

“Can I have another goodnight kiss?” Klaus whispered, his eyes already beginning to droop. 

Riley smiled broadly, “Oh yes, of course.” She kissed his pout before nuzzling her head back against his pillow. “Goodnight, daddy. I love you.”

“I love you, princess,” he finished, finally allowing his eyes to slip closed.

“What time do we need to meet up with everyone tomorrow?” Dave questioned after a couple of minutes passed. 

Riley turned to face him, holding her tiny index finger up to her mouth. “Shh, daddy’s sleeping,” she whispered.

Dave peered beyond her shoulder, and sure enough, Klaus was already asleep. His lips were parted and his breathing had evened out. Dave smiled, leaning over their daughter to kiss his forehead before laying back down, curling up closer to their little girl and taking Klaus’s limp hand into his own.

“Daddy must’ve been really sleepy,” Riley noted quietly, careful not to disrupt her father. She delicately stroked her fingers through Klaus’s curls, before resting her palm against his cheek.

Klaus would normally try to be the last one to fall asleep, for him to already be out cold there was no denying that he clearly needed the rest. “Yeah, he must be,” Dave agreed, watching the rise and fall of his husband’s chest. “Okay, sweet pea, let’s be quiet and go to sleep too, alright? Goodnight, I love you,” he kissed Riley’s curls before closing his eyes.

“I love you, daddy Davey,” Riley said before wrapping her arms around Klaus’s neck as she kissed his lips, cuddling close against the warmth of his exposed chest. “Goodnight, daddy. I love you, too.”

The little family fell asleep together like they did every night, in their familiar setting; curled up within each other’s warm embrace, with smiles spread wide across their features, and an overwhelming sensation of _love_ filling each of their hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, I love this family!!! Goodness they’re fun to write haha I hope they’re just as fun to read for you!! ;)
> 
> As always I hope you all enjoyed this! Y’all, I crave validation so it would make my heart so happy if you would let me know how this story is making you feel in the comments! Any predictions about upcoming chapters, any questions, anything you’d like to see, just let me know! I would absolutely love to hear from you!!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who gave kudos, commented, bookmarked or subscribed thus far, I appreciate you! If you haven’t subscribed be sure that you do so you get notified of the next update! 
> 
> See you all next Friday with chapter 3! And thank you again!! :)


	3. Shift In The Tides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy! :)

The bright scent of freshly squeezed orange juice intermingled with the sweet bouquet of homemade waffles, perfectly blending with the ethereal sound of his daughter’s laughter as it filled the air within their home. Klaus and Ben’s own laughter chorused amongst Riley’s, showcasing the overwhelming presence of life and _love_ harbored within the walls. Ben was strumming his fingers beneath Riley's chin and under her arms, tickling the little girl, while Klaus had his palms planted against the padded floors to either side of her, his upper body suspended just above her’s with his head bowed and his lips pressed to her belly. He was blowing raspberries against his little girl’s mid section, but even still he couldn’t hide his smile. 

They’d awoken like they did every morning before gathering into the livingroom together while Dave prepared them their breakfast. Today was a teacher training day at Riley's Pre-K, so she had the entire day off from school, giving her ample amounts of cuddles and play time with her daddy. Klaus, of course, could not be any more thrilled. Any time spent with his little princess was precious in his eyes, so when he got additional time with her he always felt like a kid waking up on Christmas morning, and Riley was the best present waiting for him under the tree. 

The little family slept in much later than usual that morning, causing them to stray away from their daily ritual. Typically, Klaus would rise with the sun, but today he simply didn’t have the energy left in him to do so. The last couple of days left Klaus feeling more run down than usual, he was barely running on fumes at this point, and he could feel it deep within his aching bones that he desperately needed the rest. On any given day if he knew he would be participating in such grueling physical activity, Klaus would make sure he allotted a time in the day for him to slow down and take a nap. The last two days, however, he’d had no such luck. Now, unfortunately, Klaus’s entire body felt stiff and sore, but he couldn’t fully understand how he was still so unbelievably tired. He’d gone to bed early last night, slept throughout the night without so much as stirring even once, and slept in until nearly ten in the morning, so he couldn’t help but wonder when he would start to feel more like himself again? Klaus wasn’t going to let his fatigue slow him down, though. Besides, he was happy; today they were to meet up with his entire family to go shopping for the perfect dress for Riley to wear for her Spring concert, and Klaus was ecstatic that they would be getting a chance to spend time with his siblings.

Klaus’s bliss was abruptly cut short, though; his features contorting into an uncomfortable grimace when his heart unexpectedly began to flutter. He had to stop blowing raspberries on his baby girl’s belly, at least for a quick moment. Klaus rolled onto his side, splaying his fingers over his own tummy while he focused on slowing down his breathing. While he found that he was out of breath, he wouldn’t let it dampen his mood nor lessen his smile. Besides, fluttering sensations were normal for him whenever he got too jubilant, and playing with his little princess always sent him careening over the edge of euphoria. Klaus knew the pain was a nuisance, but that it would pass. Sure enough, he was right. Like clockwork, a few minutes passed by and the fluttering sensation within his chest stopped. Finally, when Klaus felt well enough to continue, he wiggled his fingers against Riley’s belly, effectively picking up right where he left off on tickling his little girl. Her features stretched into a wide grin as she tossed her head back to laugh hysterically, her little body writhing beneath her daddy’s touch.

“Breakfast is ready,” Dave called from the kitchen, “why don’t you two give the little pipsqueak a break, let her breathe for a minute?”

Klaus chortled in response, “Never! She’s not allowed to breathe!” he pressed his lips against her belly once again, blowing another raspberry, simply making her squirm and laugh even more.

“Ahh! No daddy! Haha!” Riley squealed from beneath him before Ben wrapped his arms around the little girl, pulling her away from her father.

“I’ll protect you from the tickle monster!” he proclaimed, rising to his feet and propping her on his hip. Ben’s eyebrows reached for the ceiling, a gasp escaping his throat when a sudden realization struck. “Oh no.”

“What is it uncle Benny?” Riley asked, dimples cratering her perfect cheeks from her broad smile.

“The infection is spreading,” Ben said theatrically, holding up his hand in the air, his fingers dancing with spirit as they twitched to life, “Uh-oh, Riley, run...oh no, it’s already too late! Now there’s _two_ tickle monsters!” 

Riley squawked loudly when Ben tickled her, her boisterous calls of joy and excitement filtering throughout the atmosphere of their loving little home. After a few minutes passed and Riley was running out of breath, Ben finally ceased his tickling attack, and opted instead to kiss his niece’s cheek. Ben smiled the whole way to the kitchen island where he set his favorite lady down on one of the stools, before taking the seat beside her as they prepared to eat. 

Klaus’s lips curved up into a fond smile as he watched them from his position on the floor of the living room before his expression softened. He expelled a sigh as he relaxed his body against the mats and took a moment to examine his current predicament, and he couldn’t help but to curse under his breath for allowing himself to lie down in the first place. He knew he should get up to join his family for breakfast, but he was _not_ looking forward to the effort it would undoubtedly take for him to do-so. Klaus knew that he shouldn’t complain, though. He may not be feeling his best right now, and he definitely felt tired, but he’d absolutely had days where he’d felt _much worse_ than _this_. Klaus was just thankful he wasn’t as bad off as he would be on one of his ‘bad days’. With slow, sluggish movements Klaus finally planted his palms against the floor and attempted to push himself upright. He _hated_ that he still felt so exhausted even after sleeping in so late that morning. His limbs felt so heavy with fatigue, they shook beneath him, struggling to support his weight. Klaus could feel how even this simple motion of sitting up was stealing vital energy from him that he already hardly possessed. He’d just barely managed to ease himself up enough so that he was sitting when a hand appeared within his field of vision. Klaus narrowed his eyes, following the arm until his weary green orbs met his husband’s sparking blues. Dave smiled warmly at Klaus, closing the gap between them as he intertwined his fingers within his own.

“I got it, baby,” Klaus protested, trying to stand without Dave’s assistance.

“I know you do,” Dave responded coolly before he looped his fingers between his husband’s, helping to haul Klaus up and onto his unsteady feet. Klaus closed his eyes when the sudden shift in orientation caused his world to spin around him almost dizzyingly. Dave wrapped his arms around Klaus' waist, pulling him into a hug, drawing him closer and kissing his temple. “Easy, darlin, take it slow, just relax,” he whispered against his ear as to not draw attention to them, “I know you’re tired, take as long as you need. I’m right here, I’ve got you, okay?”

Klaus let out the breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding as he snuggled against the warmth of his husband’s embrace. “Thank you, baby, but I promise, I’m fine.”

“Shh, I know you are. Just...take a minute, okay? The last couple of days have been hard on you, and I’m afraid that today won’t be much easier. Just breathe for a bit, you earned it.”

Klaus didn’t protest his husband's efforts at getting him to relax. Truth be told, he was grateful for this moment shared between them more than anything. Klaus was _exhausted_ , and Dave was always quick to recognize and understand when he needed to rest. Klaus closed his eyes as Dave held him, gently rocking him in his arms while he ran his palm soothingly up and down Klaus’s back. 

“Are you sure that you want to go to this? If you’re this tired, maybe it would be best if you just stayed home and took a nap. I think between Ben, myself and the rest of your siblings we’ve got it plenty under control if you just want to take it easy today—“

“No, no way,” Klaus objected immediately, “absolutely not, baby. I _want_ to go, I don’t want to miss this. Besides, like I already told you, I’m perfectly fine. I’m just still waking up is all, I swear. Once we get going I know that I’ll be alright.” Klaus assured him, nuzzling closer against his love.

“Okay, I trust you,” Dave whispered, softly carding his fingers through the delicate curls at the nape of his husband’s neck, “but I need you to promise me that you’ll tell me if you start feeling worse or like you need to leave.”

“Of course, I promise.”

Dave continued to hold onto Klaus, keeping him steady as he peppered his neck and shoulders in delicate kisses. They didn’t mind the snickering coming from Ben at their ‘PDA’, or his remarks for them to wrap it up so that Riley and her uncle could eat.

“Yuck, all this love is sickening, gag me with a spoon,” joked Ben, sticking his tongue out and grimacing. Riley tilted her head in confusion as she peered towards her uncle after his peculiar remark.

“Uncle Benny, why would you want to do that? You could get sick!” Klaus couldn’t even hide his snort at Ben’s reaction.

“Oh, no! Not literally, honey bee. It’s just an expression. I’m saying your daddy’s are making me sick with all their hugging and kissing, _blegh_ ,” he started, turning his attention to his brother and his husband. “And that they should quit being so yucky in the morning, and come sit down and eat with us civilized folks.” 

“Alright, alright, we’re coming, we’re coming,” Dave assured his brother in law before hugging Klaus tighter, kissing his shoulder once more. “Doing alright? You think you're ready to eat?”

“Hmm...I think so,” Once the world stopped spinning and he felt grounded, Klaus opened his eyes, pulling away just enough from his love’s embrace to kiss his lips, pressing their foreheads together. “Thank you, baby. No one knows me better than you.”

Dave smiled, rubbing his nose against his, “Of course, darlin. Now, you need to fill up on breakfast, don’t forget we’ve got a busy day again today, and since you refuse to sit this excursion out, I’m going to need you to at least eat a decent meal before we leave, alright?”

“Okay, deal.”

Dave interlocked his fingers within his husband’s and led him to the kitchen island where Klaus sat down beside Riley. He ruffled his little princess’s curls, kissing her temple before peering at his brother. “Don’t act like we don’t know that you love our love, Benny. The air is simply _brimming_ with your jealousy!” he winked.

Ben scoffed. “ _Pfft_ , as-if! Now, do you think you two can keep your hands to yourselves long enough for us to enjoy our meal? I’d like to eat without a show, for once.”

“I make no promises.” Klaus smirked. 

Dave couldn’t stifle his own laughter, reaching out to cup Klaus’s cheek within his palm before snagging his smug grin in a kiss. “Oops, I slipped! Unfortunately Ben, it’s impossible for me to keep my hands off of him. I mean really, who could blame me? Have you _seen_ him?” Klaus batted his long eyelashes at his brother with a wide grin, earning a scowl in return. “He’s just too gosh darn cute!”

“Cute?!” Klaus barked, “I am _stunning_!” he pulled away, signaling his hands around his physique. “A true vision!”

“You both really ought to get your eyesight checked—”

Klaus gasped, “Benjamin!”

“Alright you two,” Dave laughed, setting a plate of waffles and fruit before Ben and Riley, “quit your bickering, it’s time to eat.”

Klaus leaned against his elbow on the counter and couldn’t help but smile as he watched his brother with Riley. Ben was holding two juicy green grapes up to his eyes pretending they were eyeballs and had an orange slice in his mouth for a goofy grin. Riley’s laughter was singing through the air at Ben’s silly antics. Klaus chuckled as he observed them; he was thankful for his brother, Ben always knew how to make Riley laugh, and smile, and added so much joy into all of their lives. He couldn’t imagine having their mornings be any way other than just like this, filled with so much happiness and love. 

Dave slid a little cup with Klaus’s heart medication in front of him with a glass of water, which he wasted no time in shooting back quickly before Dave handed him his meal; a bowl of cheerios and fruit. “Oh, Cheerios, eh? I suppose it _is_ a heart healthy meal, isn’t it,” he joked, but Dave just gave him ‘the look’ he tended to give whenever he was unimpressed with his husband’s remarks. Sighing, Klaus’s shoulders slumped while he held his hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright, lighten up, _sheesh_.”

Dave took the final seat at the kitchen island beside Klaus and the family finally all settled down to eat. Chatter broke out amongst them, questions on what time they were meant to meet up with the siblings to go shopping for Riley’s dress, where in the mall they were supposed to meet at, what the game plan was, etcetera, but Klaus couldn’t focus on much of the conversation. He was already struggling enough just trying to concentrate on eating his meal. Klaus’s appetite the last few days had been mediocre at best, some meals he could almost finish, but so far this morning he’d barely been able to eat more than a couple of bites. He didn’t feel sick or anything, he just...wasn’t hungry. He knew that news shouldn’t come as a surprise for him, though. He was exhausted, his appetite was always abysmal on his ‘tired’ or even ‘bad’ days, but he was just ready to regain a little more energy. Klaus had eaten just a couple of bites of his cereal, and two chunks of fruit when he decided he’d had enough. While he knew he should attempt to eat more, he also knew that if he forced himself he _would_ inevitably make himself sick. Klaus pulled his glass of water closer, pressing it to his lips and took a small sip.

“Oh crap, is that the time?” Ben exclaimed as he looked at the clock displayed on the oven, “We gotta go, we’re going to be late!” 

Klaus put down his cup of water, taking Riley by her hands before helping her off her stool. “Come on, princess, let’s go get ready for the day and find you a dress!”

* * *

Klaus and Dave held firmly onto Riley’s hands, flanking their little girl to either side as they entered the food court of the shopping plaza together. Klaus peered around the vast space and was quickly reminded of the exact reason why he typically hated venturing there in the first place. Sure, he loved shopping, but he consistently had found the mall to always have been far too… _congested_. Rows upon rows of people wandering aimlessly in search of the next greatest deal, or hottest trend on the scene, while demonstrating absolutely no regard for anyone else’s personal space. They’d only just arrived and already Klaus was starting to feel claustrophobic; trapped within a tight space, surrounded by too many people, and far too many voices. He knew they were entirely unrelated, but his mind instantly tried to link this place to the torture he suffered under his father’s bastardized care. It was a large building, sure, but the commotion teeming within the walls made the space feel tight, and the air stagnant. Maybe if he wasn’t already feeling so crummy Klaus’ mind wouldn’t have gone there, but unfortunately, he _wasn’t_ feeling particularly great today, and now he could feel his anxiety bubbling up in his throat. This entire situation was making Klaus feel overwhelmed and it was quickly becoming all too much for him.

Klaus faltered, halting in his tracks. He instinctively took a step back, his anxiety getting the best of him. Unfortunately, he wasn’t paying close enough attention to his surroundings, and he stumbled into someone by accident. “Hey, watch it!” the random passerby had the gall to yell at Klaus before purposely throwing their shoulder aggressively against his own. 

Too caught up in his thoughts to realize he was in anyone's way, the action startled Klaus and he gasped, stumbling haphazardly to the side when he lost his balance, “I’m sorry,” he apologized while he tried to regain his composure, but the man rolled his eyes and just kept walking. Ben and Dave witnessed the interaction and were quick to steady Klaus, making sure that he was alright.

“What a piece of shi— _shoot_!” Ben stated, quickly covering his curse in front of Riley. He glowered at the man as he exited the mall. “That was so unnecessary, christ Klaus, are you okay?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m perfectly fine,” Klaus assured them sarcastically, hissing as he rubbed at his shoulder. He was already feeling sore and run down, he didn’t need the added discomfort from some random prick in the mall. Honestly, did the man really need to jostle him _that_ hard? “I almost forgot how much I hate this place. _Almost_ being the key phrase. Luckily for me, there’s always someone to remind me.” Klaus exhaled a long sigh, closing his eyes. Not even two minutes into this shopping adventure and already he’d been on the brink of a panic attack, and damn near assaulted by a stranger. He was far too tired today to be putting up with this bullshit, maybe he _should_ have just listened to Dave in the first place and stayed home, after all.

“There’s my favorite niece!” Allison's voice cut through the crowd of people, tearing Klaus’s attention away from his disheartened thoughts. He opened his eyes and was happy to see his sister; he knew he could always count on her beautiful smiling face to cheer him up.

“Auntie Ally!” Riley beamed, pulling away from her parents and all but throwing herself into Allison’s eagerly awaiting arms. Allison pulled the little girl up, propping her on her hip. Klaus couldn’t help but to smile as his sister and daughter’s giggling filtered around him. If he had to compare, he would swear that their laughter sounded like angels chorusing from the heavens above. 

“Hey there, sweetie, I sure missed you! Did you miss me?” Allison hugged her close, nuzzling their noses together, only succeeding in making Riley giggle more.

“I did, auntie Ally! So much! Daddy missed you, too!”

“Aw, and I missed him!” She tucked a rampant curl behind Riley’s ear, shooting Klaus a warm smile, “And Dave, of course. And I _suppose_ I missed your uncle Benny, too.” She winked.

“Ha-ha, very funny, sis. You know you missed me the most,” Ben stuck his tongue out at Allison who crinkled her nose in return. 

“Hey, Klaus,” Diego greeted as he approached his brother, quickly gathering him into what Klaus easily considered to be much too tight of a hug. “Man, time flies, I can’t believe it’s already been a few weeks since I last saw you, how have you been?”

Klaus groaned beneath his brother's suffocating embrace, struggling to find the strength to pat Diego’s back. While he could feel the love, he couldn’t help but to feel the pain he was inflicting, too. Didn’t they know he was sore? “I’d be better if people would quit trying to beat me up today. I mean honestly, Diego, easy on the goods, I can barely breathe,” Klaus gritted through his teeth.

“Beat you up?” Diego pulled away, lessening his vice-like grip on his sibling. “What, like you can’t handle a little tough love?”

Klaus scoffed, sending his brother a tired smirk, “Only from you, oh brother o’mine,”

Diego’s eyebrows furrowed as he finally took a moment to fully absorb Klaus’s appearance. He was surprised to see how exhausted Klaus looked, his cheeks were red and it looked like it was taking every bit of the energy he had just to keep his eyes open. Diego had been lucky to be close enough to Klaus that he’d witnessed him at his best, as well as his worst. Last he’d seen his brother he was doing exceptionally well, now he looked like he was teetering on the brink of a low. He couldn’t help but wonder why Klaus looked like he was just a step away from tipping over the edge, and swan diving into one of his ‘bad days’. Concerned, Diego cupped Klaus’s cheeks within both of his palms, his deeply worried chocolate gaze meeting his brother’s hazy greens, “Hey, are you feelin’ alright? Don’t take this the wrong way, bro, but you look like shit.”

“Me?” Klaus patted his brother’s shoulder reassuringly, “Yeah, of course, why wouldn’t I be? I’m perfectly fine—”

“Klaus you look and sound exhausted, and your face is all flushed, are you sure?” Diego pressed his palm against Klaus’s forehead in an attempt to gauge his temperature. Since the brothers rekindled their relationship, Diego had been overbearingly protective over his sibling. The revelation of Klaus’s heart condition merely helped to deepen his concern. He knew that Klaus had Dave and Ben to watch over him now to keep him safe, and ensure he was taking care of himself (and being taken care of) but he couldn’t help but feel the urge to do all of that himself. He’d failed Klaus far too many times already in this lifetime, he refused to let it happen again.

Klaus couldn’t help but to laugh as he pulled away. “Di, I’m okay. We just spent the entire day at the beach yesterday, so I’m a wee bit burned and tired, but I can assure you, I’m fine.”

“The beach?” Diego knew how hard walking in the sand was on his brother, how strenuous it was on his already weakened heart. On top of all that, Diego knew how bad Klaus was at listening to his own body, and how quickly he would forfeit his own comfort and wellbeing for the joy of his baby girl. Which Diego found to be admirable - but stupid. “Are you sure you’re okay? The beach is...tough on you, isn’t it?”

“Yup,” Klaus said flatly, popping the ‘p’. “I’m fine. We spent the whole day there, swimming and playing in the sand. It was fun, a blast, really, you should come next time. You _all_ should, then we could all take turns chasing Riley down the shore.” He laughed.

Diego’s brows furrowed skeptically, “Klaus—”

“Luther, Vanya!” Klaus interrupted his brother, peering past him when their siblings entered the mall. Plastering on a wide, toothy grin, Klaus waved his ‘Hello’ hand in greeting, “Salutations! Glad you two finally decided to show up.” He peeled himself away from Diego to approach them, taking a moment to give each of them a hug. Diego shook his head, following his brother to rejoin their family.

“Hey, Klaus, how have you been—” Vanya gasped when Klaus unexpectedly looped his arms beneath hers, swinging her tiny body around him in a circle. “Careful, Klaus, are you nuts? You know I’m way too heavy for you to be doing that!”

“Superb, m’dear - what? _Nonsense_ , you barely weigh more than Riley!” 

She snickered, her feet firmly planting against the ground when he finally set her down. “I beg to differ. I’m a full grown woman—”

“Pshyeah, a full grown woman who weighs what, _maybe_ fifteen pounds more than my four year old daughter?” he laughed. “Such smol, such tiny.” He bunched his shoulders up, curling his palms into fists and pressing them beneath his chin, leaning forward to be on her level as he admired her in awe. “Just a wee lass, ye are,” he joked as he patted her head.

Vanya pulled away from his touch, playfully swatting at his hand. “You quit, I’m not even that small,” she glared, but even she couldn’t hide the glint of a smile behind her big doe-like hazel eyes.

“I don’t know Vanya, from up here it’s pretty easy to mistake you for Riley, actually,” Luther informed her, attempting but failing to hide his own grin.

“Ha! See, we’re all in agreeance, then!” Klaus said, shooting finger guns at his brother.

Vanya shook her head, her resolve finally crumbling at her brother’s goofy antics when an amused smirk spread across her features. “Okay, fine, you win,” she said, holding up her hands in surrender. “Speaking of Riley, where is—oh, of course, Allison’s hogging her! I hate to cut this stature-shaming short, but I’d better go say hello to my beautiful niece!” Vanya wiggled her fingers at her siblings in a quick goodbye before scurrying over to Riley to finally say hello.

Diego and Luther circled around Klaus. “Spring concert, huh?” Luther started as he patted his sibling’s shoulder, “She must get the singing gene from you, I remember how you liked to deafen us all with your voice every morning when we were kids. Oh yeah, we heard you from the bathroom. Hopefully Riley’s better at carrying a tune than you were,” he teased, ruffling Klaus’s curls.

“I’ll have you know, my daughter and husband find my singing to be lovely, thank you very much.” 

“I bet they do,” Diego smirked, patting Klaus’s back. The three brothers took this opportunity to join their family as they waited for Five to arrive. Klaus physically felt his heart unfurl, his anxiety melting away now that he was in the presence of his loved ones. They somehow always had a special gift in that way, the ability to take his mind off of whatever may have been bothering him or causing him anguish. No longer did he feel anxious standing within the center of the bustling food court, but rather, he felt content. His chest filled with warmth as he watched his siblings swarming around his daughter in a lovestruck frenzy. Allison still had Riley propped on her hip, and Ben and Vanya each were rubbing her back, or squeezing her hand as they all spoke to her, listening to her go on and on about how excited she was to see each of them. Klaus couldn’t hide his joy in knowing how well loved his little girl was, how much everyone truly cared about her and genuinely enjoyed spending time with her. This was exactly the life he always envisioned for his baby girl, and he was so happy that she was lucky enough to live it. 

“Riles, are you excited for your concert? You’re going to look so beautiful, sweetie. I can’t wait until we all get the chance to watch you up on that stage Friday night!” Allison cooed as she hugged her closer, “And to hear you _sing_? You’re going to be so amazing!”

“I know, I don’t know if my heart can handle all the cute!” Klaus piped in, kissing Riley’s dimpled cheek. She leaned into his touch, tilting her head and puckering her lips, begging for her father’s kiss. Klaus smiled, pressing his lips to hers when she reached out for him to hold her. “Oh, alright, come here, princess,” Klaus huffed under his daughter’s weight as he pulled her into his own arms. “Daddy loves you, baby girl.” 

Riley snuggled herself up close against Klaus’s chest, wrapping her arms around his neck, “I love you, daddy!”

“So much love in the air,” Five noted when he finally arrived. “It’s disgusting.”

“Uncle Fifi!” Riley squealed when she laid her big, blue eyes on her favorite pint sized uncle. Five rolled his eyes at Riley’s use of his now all too familiar nickname. He always claimed that he detested it; that Fifi reminded him of something you’d name a poodle, or a pomeranian, but Klaus nor any of the other siblings ever bought into his proclamation. Besides, the fond smile that always magically appeared on his features each time he heard it said otherwise.

“Funny, for being the only one amongst us who can literally teleport, you sure are good at being fashionably late, Fivey,” Klaus smirked as he adjusted Riley’s weight on his hip. She was getting so big, Klaus was already finding it difficult for him to hold her, it made him sad to realize that soon he wouldn’t be able to carry his little girl anymore.

“I had more important endeavors to attend to—”

Klaus gasped, “More important than your niece?!”

“No, just more important than you,” Five said, shooting Klaus a smug grin. 

“You love me and you know it,” Klaus declared, glaring daggers at Five.

“That’s to be determined,” Five and Klaus continued to joke back and forth, poking fun at one another. 

Allison’s lips curved up into a grin as she watched them banter back and forth. Shaking her head, she approached her sibling’s, laying her hand across Riley’s back as her honey eyes met Riley’s baby blues, “Well, sweetie, what do you say we break up your daddy and uncle Fifi’s bickering and go find you the perfect dress, how’s that sound?

“Yay, I’m so excited!” Riley cheered before pressing her tiny palm to Klaus’s cheek, peering between her father and Five, “Daddy, Fifi, quit being silly!”

“Yeah you two, break it up. We’re here to find our favorite squirt a dress, so let's get on with it!” Diego finished.

“You’re absolutely right,” Klaus agreed as he hugged Riley closer to his chest before he stormed past Five, intertwining his fingers within Dave’s. “Come on, then, we’ve got some shopping to do!” He smiled, snapping his fingers at his siblings, “Chip-chop, no dilly-dallying!”

* * *

Klaus didn’t know the actual amount of shops they went into that day, but if he were to make a ballpark estimate, he would easily guess it must have been every single one of them. Not that he minded, of course. They quickly discovered that finding the perfect dress for his precious baby girl was no simple feat, but with Allison and the rest of his family’s help, they certainly found a few lucky contenders. There were so many that Riley looked adorable in, it was incredibly hard for them to choose! Luckily for Riley, Allison decided if they couldn’t pick just one, she would just have to buy her every single one of them. Klaus and Dave tried to tell her no, that she didn’t need to do all of that, dresses were expensive - but she didn’t care. Honestly, Allison wanted nothing more than to spoil a little girl right now. She herself was in the middle of a nasty divorce from her soon to be ex husband Patrick, and her little princess was currently residing many miles away in California with her dad. Thankfully, Patrick wasn’t a _total_ monster, so they were each granted joint custody, but this week was Patrick’s turn with Claire, and Allison just missed her daughter. Riley was the perfect distraction for Allison to channel all of her motherly energy into. After all, who better to spoil than her favorite niece?

Allison and Klaus were both in agreement that _just_ a dress simply wouldn’t do, and Riley would need shoes and accessories to complete her entire look. Klaus loved watching Riley try on every single outfit, and swore that his cheeks would get stuck in the broad grin he’d been wearing all day watching his little princess prance around like the little model baby he’d always known her to be. The entire family had fun, especially when Riley begged her daddy to try on dresses with her. The hilarity that ensued watching Klaus coming out of a dressing room with Riley propped on his hip while wearing a child’s dress as a crop top, striking exaggerated ‘model poses’ while puckering his lips out in a pout definitely succeeded in making his siblings’ day. There certainly was no shortage of silly jokes, and of course, there was plenty of laughter to go around. Klaus couldn’t help but enjoy himself; after all, how could he not when his entire family was finally just the way they’d always deserved to be - happy. 

Klaus and Dave exchanged adoring smiles as they watched Riley hang off of her uncle Luther’s neck; he was carrying the little girl atop his broad shoulders through the mall. Riley was hugging him tightly, probably cutting off his airflow, but the loving smile on his face just proved to them that clearly the big softie didn't mind. Klaus had his fingers woven between Dave’s, they were holding hands while they walked towards the next stop in their itinerary together, which of course, they had to go to the opposite end of the plaza and up the escalators just to get there. They’d walked up and down, back and forth for hours now and at first Klaus was doing great, his tiredness and anxiety had all but been forgotten amid all of the fun he’d been having, but now, his exhaustion was starting to catch up to him again, and Klaus could feel himself starting to slow down. It wasn’t until they walked further and further down the long stretch of the hallway that Klaus’s heart started to do it’s uncomfortable little flutter it always liked to do whenever he was pushing himself too far. He tightened his grip on Dave’s hand, allowing his eyes to drift closed when his head started pounding to the rhythm of his quickened heart rate; all the buzzing in the air and activity around them was giving him a headache. Klaus sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to slow down his breathing. He was left winded from all of the ambulating around the mall they’d been doing all day, and as the flutter in his chest intensified, Klaus could feel that he should probably try to sit down. The only problem with this theory was that they were nearly done, there was only one shop left for them to go to, and Klaus didn’t want his family to need to slow down or stop shopping on account of him. Besides, he was fine, he walked every single day to the park and back, what were a few more steps? 

When they arrived at the escalators the entire family stopped in their tracks when they read the sign dangling across the platform that led them towards their final destination: 

**\- OUT OF ORDER -**

Allison ran her fingertips over the chain suspending the sign, “Hm, maybe we should call it a day, I think we probably got enough, wouldn’t you guys agree?” she suggested.

“But Ally, that’s the main store you wanted to check out—” Luther began to remind her, but Allison quickly shook her head to stop him from going on. 

It didn’t take a rocket scientist for them to realize Klaus was starting to fall behind. They’d all been listening to him panting, struggling to catch his breath for a while now. While getting winded was typical for Klaus since his cardiomyopathy diagnosis, all of the excess activity he’d been doing all week was _not_ a common occurrence for him at all. Not to mention, he’d not really had a chance to take a break for himself in days, and Allison didn’t think forcing her brother with a heart condition to trudge up flights of stairs when he was already so clearly beginning to struggle would be the wisest of decisions. Klaus’s health would always come first, a stupid store that she selfishly wished to check out could wait.

Klaus physically felt himself deflate at this news. “Why not? If you’re so excited about it, why don’t we just go?” Allison’s brows furrowed as she peered at her brother sympathetically. “Oh,” he began, when realization dawned on him “What, because it’s on the second floor?”

Multiple guilty glances and a beat of silence passed. Klaus pursed his lips, shaking his head. Not that he wasn’t grateful that his family cared so much about him that they would willingly give up going to their favorite store on his behalf, of course he was, but he was a big boy and could make his own decisions in regards to his own body and well being. Exhaling a sigh, he approached his sister, planting his palms on either of her shoulders, his lips quirking up into a crooked grin. “Ally, I’m fine, really—”

“That’s just a lot of walking for you in a day, Klaus, and really, how often do you use the stairs—” she tried to reason with him, but Klaus just laughed softly, looking his sister straight in her eyes.

“I appreciate your concern, really I do. But I can assure you, I’m fine,” Klaus pulled away, taking Riley's hand into his own before he started trudging up the stairwell. “Are you guys coming, or what?” he called over his shoulder. Begrudgingly, his family joined Klaus, being sure to follow closely behind him.

Sometimes Klaus wished he wasn’t so stubborn, after all, Allison was right; walking up the stairs probably wasn’t the best idea, especially not when he was already feeling so poorly, but what other choice did he really have? They could take the elevators, sure, but they were even further down the hall towards where they originally started near the food court, which would just tack on even more unnecessary walking for him. Klaus refused to ruin their fun family excursion just because he was feeling a little tired, so this was really his only option. But as he took each step closer to the top of the stairwell, Klaus could feel his energy slipping further, and further away. He just kept reminding himself that he was okay, though. Besides, if he focused on counting each step it proved to be a decent distraction for him, pulling his attention away from the weakness he was feeling in his knees, and the uncomfortable flutter in his chest. Klaus knew he could do this, he literally walked all the time, _so what_ if he was feeling a little more tired than usual? He couldn’t just let his stupid fatigue that he always felt drag his family down along with him. Klaus knew in spite of how he was currently feeling, he needed to fight his discomfort with what he could only describe as a facade of strength, really hone in on his inner Thomas The Train.

“I can do this,” Klaus whispered under his breath as he ascended the final few steps, “I think I can, anyways…” 

When his foot finally made contact with the tiles at the top of the stairs, Klaus could feel relief flooding through his veins. He’d made it, he honestly didn’t know if he would be able to a few times throughout his journey to the top, but he was proud of himself for not giving up. Riley’s eyes met the storefront across from the staircase, the Disney store, and her expression perked in interest. She squealed in excitement, and unable to contain herself, she dropped Klaus’s hand without hesitation before bolting on her tiny legs across the hall, running away from her father and towards the store. 

Klaus gasped in surprise before he went to chase after her, “Riley, wait—” She knew better than to run off without him, but as he launched himself forward towards his daughter the room started spinning. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by a dizzy spell. Klaus stumbled back a step, clinging desperately onto the bannister when dark spots started marring his vision, the soft flutter in his heart intensified until it was spasming uncomfortably. Luckily, Riley heard his plea and stopped, spinning on her heels to return to her daddy. 

Dave was at Klaus’s side instantly. Cupping his husband’s cheek in the palm of his hand, he tipped Klaus’s chin up in an attempt to meet his hazy emerald gaze. Dave’s eyebrows furrowed with concern when he noticed the thin film of sweat covering his love’s face. “Klaus, are you alright? You’re looking a little pale, darlin. Do you need to sit down for a minute?”

Hesitantly, Klaus peeled open his eyes. He was happy to find that the room was no longer spinning, but god, why did he feel so _weak_ all of a sudden? “No, that’s alright, I’m okay, baby,” he assured before inhaling sharply, frantically pulling away from Dave’s grasp, “Riley? Riley, where are you?”

“I’m right here, daddy,” Riley answered, maneuvering between her parents, her tiny hands reaching for Klaus’s hand. 

Klaus scooped his little girl into his arms, propping her on his hip, hugging her close. “You can’t run off like that, princess. Daddy can’t—” he paused, his eyebrows furrowing when he found that he was unable to admit the truth - that he couldn’t run after her because he simply didn’t have the strength to. “Just, please promise me you won’t do that again. You scared me.”

Riley nodded her head, wrapping her arms around Klaus’s neck, “I’m sorry daddy,”

“It’s okay, sweetie. Just, stay by me, okay?” Klaus spoke softly, pressing his forehead to hers. It may have been nothing, but this small occurrence had struck such an immense amount of fear into his heart. What if she had run off and he couldn’t catch her due to his stupid illness? What if a stranger would have been lurking in the shadows, just waiting to snatch her up and he would have been powerless to help his little girl? Maybe he was thinking irrationally, he hoped that was the case, but _what if he wasn’t?_ Klaus hated that his heart condition always chose the most inopportune moments to rear its ugly head, incapacitate him and render him essentially useless. He hated that had his daughter needed him right now he wouldn’t have been able to help her.

Riley hugged him closer, kissing the tip of his nose. Thankfully, the action effectively pulled her father out of his self deprecating thoughts. “Okay daddy, I promise.” Klaus kissed Riley’s forehead, raking his fingers through her curls and he _smiled_. He could always count on his baby girl to remind him of the more important things in his life. Riley truly meant more to him than anything else in this world, he just loved her so much. 

Dave looped his arm around the small of Klaus’s back. He could see how tired he was, and not only by the body language he was displaying. By the look in Klaus’s eyes, Dave knew he should be taking it easy, so he wasted no time in offering his clearly ailing husband some much needed support. Klaus was grateful for his love; the painful battering within his heart was finally starting to calm down, but he could feel how badly he needed to take a break. He smiled weakly at Dave, leaning into his caring touch before the family slowly made their way towards their final stop for the day. They entered into the last store and Klaus allowed Allison and Vanya to take Riley from him to go try on dresses. Klaus eagerly swayed towards Dave, who dipped down to kiss his cheek. 

“You doing alright?” Dave asked, stroking the pad of his thumb over Klaus’s cheekbone. 

Klaus smiled, nodding his head, “Yeah, I’m okay, besides, we’re almost done.”

“You know,” Dave began, “you promised me earlier that you’d tell me if you started feeling worse, or like you needed to go home. It’s not too late, I’m sure any of your siblings wouldn’t mind taking Riley home later. We could leave right now if you need to rest—”

“No, baby, I’m fine,” Klaus pulled away from his touch, taking his hand into his own. “I promise, I didn’t say anything because I am A-OK, I swear. I think I’ll make it to the end of this excursion, afterall,” he smirked, running his palm over Dave’s chest, kissing his jaw just below his ear. “Now, quit fussing over me, it’s cute and all, but you should try channeling that energy into our little girl’s dress shopping, babe,” he winked, patting Dave’s cheek. Pivoting on his heels, Klaus turned to meander away from his husband and down the aisles of clothing. 

The entire family decided to divide into smaller groups to spread out in hopes of finding the perfect dress a little quicker; Luther and Five teamed up together, Diego and Dave, Vanya and Allison and Klaus and Ben. Vanya and Allison ushered Riley into the dressing room, having her try on armfulls of dresses they’d already found for the little girl. They thought the dresses were cute before, well, nothing compared to the selection in this store. Klaus hummed, running his fingertips over the hangers as he strolled down the numerous racks of clothes. He was happy he made them come up here, they were sure to find _the perfect dress_ in this store, he couldn’t believe how beautiful they all were, but the longer he tried to search the racks, the more he found himself struggling to focus. He knew he was tired, but god, he felt like if he closed his eyes he would just pass out. Klaus didn’t understand why he had to feel this way, why couldn’t he just enjoy an average day of shopping with his family like any normal human being. Why did his stupid heart condition always need to steal his precious energy away from him; rob him of irreplaceable time with his loved ones, and his daughter and deprive him from creating such wonderful memories? He was quite literally sick and tired of always being so sick and tired. Klaus shook his head to clear his thoughts, reminding himself once again that he was just dress shopping, he could handle this. 

After taking a few more steps down one of the aisles, Klaus started to feel unusually light headed; even for him. So-much-so that it forced him to close his eyes. “Whoa, okay...” inhaling an unsteady breath, he wrapped his hands around the rack, grappling on for dear life in a feeble attempt to hold himself upright when he felt his world begin to swivel off its axis. His skull felt like it was filled with helium; his thoughts felt all floaty and unfocused. His heart began to flutter again, and his head was spinning. “You’re okay, Klaus, just take deep breaths. This happens sometimes, remember? You’re fine…” Klaus reminded himself. He couldn’t believe how dizzy he was all of a sudden; his body started swaying, his knees felt weak and before he could fully wrap his head around what was happening they began to give way beneath him, and then—

“Hey, look at me, Klaus, are you alright?” Ben’s concerned voice echoed through the vastness within his skull, the loud sound caused Klaus to crack open his eyes. It was only then he felt his brother’s steadying grip on his arm, undoubtedly he was the only thing keeping him upright. “Talk to me, Klaus, what’s happening?”

“What? Nothing, m’fine,” Klaus began, trying to free his arm from his brother’s grip, but he simply couldn’t find the strength to stand any longer. His eyelids fluttered as his eyes started to roll back into his skull, his body sinking towards the floor once again.

“Hey now, no, no, no, don’t do that, Klaus. Stay with me,” Ben tightened his grip on his brother when he started to slump. “Come on, Klaus, can you hear me? Please, stay with me.” Thankfully, Ben’s frantic pleas garnered the attention of the nearest group to their proximity; Diego and Dave, who dropped everything they were holding in their haste to hurry over to assist.

“Whoa, whoa, easy, Klaus,” Diego said, reaching out to loop his arm beneath his brother’s. “I need you to open your eyes for me, okay? No collapsing allowed,” he said, gently tapping Klaus’s cheek.

Klaus’s eyes fluttered open, revealing weary green orbs, “Hm? What are you even talking about, M’okay—”

“Darlin, I told you we should have gone home, you need to rest—” Dave tried to remind him.

Klaus shook his head in response, “Baby, I’m fine—”

“You almost just passed out, Klaus,” Ben reprimanded, “You most certainly are not fine!”

“Yes, I am!” Klaus argued, shrugging out of his sibling's touch. He teetered briefly, the light headed sensation not quite gone just yet. Diego reached out to steady him again before he finally found the strength to stand on his own. “I am fine, I’m just… _tired_. But we’re almost done, I can finish,” he pulled his arm away from his brother's grip. “Look,” he said, pointing towards the dressing room where Vanya was holding up Riley in what had to have been the cutest dress he’d ever seen his baby girl in. Klaus’s lips tugged into an adoring smile, “Look at her, I think we found the winner. Let’s go see my baby girl in her dress.”

“Klaus,” Dave started, “Darlin, I really think we should go home now.”

“Baby, I told you, I’m fine. See,” he held up his arms, spinning in a single circle to prove he was alright. “All better, I just had a little… _spell_. You know I get those sometimes, I’m okay, we are almost done, let’s just finish—”

“You haven't had a spell like that in a long time—”

“Baby, stop, please. Maybe I’m just thirsty, or, I don’t know, hungry—”

“You haven't been eating much the last couple of days, Klaus,” Ben interjected, “You need to be more mindful of that if this is how your body reacts. You clearly need the nutrients, especially after all of the physical activity you’ve been doing this week—”

“Why haven’t you been eating?” Diego questioned, eyeing his brother worriedly.

“He gets like that sometimes when he’s overly tired,” Dave started to explain, “but it’s true, he hasn’t been eating enough,”

“Guys, please, stop,” Klaus said, rubbing his temples, exhaling an exasperated laugh. “Fuck, all of your fussing is giving me a headache. I’m fine, maybe after we finish here we can all eat, okay? Will that appease you, oh worry-warts?”

Dave, Ben and Diego all exchanged concerned glances with each other, but Klaus just smiled at them, rolling his eyes before walking past them to go see his little girl. “Come on, dorks. Let’s go see this dress.” Reluctantly, they agreed, being mindful to follow closely behind him.

The dress was indeed the winner; it was a precious little gray number at the top, with a rainbow tulle skirt that fanned around her tiny figure in the most adorable of ways. Riley looked like a ballerina, and Klaus’s heart fluttered with love at just the sight of her wearing it. They found the perfect shoes and accessories to accompany the dress in the store as well, making any other items they’d found earlier in the day pale in comparison to how perfect everything was they picked up at their last stop. As a bonus, they even let Riley roam around the Disney store for a few minutes, letting her pick out a new toy. Dave, Diego and Ben weren't too keen on the idea, they just wanted to get this excursion over with and get Klaus home, but he assured them he was feeling better, and one more stop wouldn’t kill him. Honestly, he was just glad they’d been the only witnesses to his little almost-fainting-spell, he was embarrassed enough as it was having anyone fuss so much over him, having his entire family freak out over nothing was the last thing he needed. Eventually, Riley found a stuffed Bambi doll she just had to have and her uncle Fifi happily offered to pay for it for her. 

As they descended the stairs to finally head home, Klaus and Dave brought up the rear at the tail end of their group. Klaus thought going up the stairs was difficult, well, he stood corrected, and quickly realized that going down was somehow so much _worse_. Klaus could not believe how exhausted he was feeling. Thank goodness Dave held his hand the whole way down; without his husband's support holding him up, and his white knuckle grip on the bannister, Klaus was certain his legs would have collapsed from beneath him. He was honest to goodness starting to feel better before, but now, he could feel himself slowing down again, and noticed that he felt even more weak with each step that he took. Klaus tried desperately to hide his panting, he didn’t know why, but he was struggling to breathe more than normal today. He was just so winded, not to mention he kept battling that unbearable lightheaded feeling. He felt his heart rattling painfully beneath his ribs, and his head pounding to the rhythm of his erratic heartbeat. When they finally reached the bottom of the stairs Klaus’s limbs were shaking from exertion, he knew he couldn’t stand much longer, he desperately needed to sit down.

“Is anyone hungry?” Klaus asked, trying and somehow miraculously succeeding in hiding how badly he was out of breath. 

Everyone agreed that food sounded like a good idea, so they followed Klaus who promptly allowed his body to crumple into the first chair he stumbled across, which just so happened to be right on the outer banks of the food court beside the novelty ice rink that every mall seemingly had nowadays. Riley crawled into her daddy’s lap, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Klaus’s lips turned up into a grin. He could feel himself trembling, he was just so exhausted. Klaus kissed her forehead before burying his face within her curls as he held his little girl tightly against his chest. 

“The food court?” Five said in a disgusted tone, “I thought we would go somewhere a little more, I don’t know, appetizing?”

“Sorry,” Klaus mumbled against Riley’s curls. Inhaling a shaky breath, he slowly lifted his head to address his sibling. “I just really need to sit down for a few minutes.” he finally admitted. Klaus spoke softly, his voice quickly giving away just how tired he truly felt.

The sound of chairs scraping against linoleum filled the air as his siblings all piled into the seats surrounding Klaus; questions and worried accusations rapidly firing around the table so fast that it was making his head spin.

“Christ, Klaus, why didn’t you say anything sooner?” Five scolded his brother.

“I thought you seemed more tired than usual today—” Vanya noted, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.

“You know you shouldn't push yourself like this,” Luther chided, “Your heart can’t handle so much strain, you need to be more careful—”

“Klaus, we are your family,” Allison started, taking his hand into her own. “There is absolutely nothing to be sorry about, but, you know you need to always be honest with us. If you are ever feeling like you need to rest, you should always let one of us know.” Her face shone brilliantly with worry as she took in her brother’s weary appearance, “God, I knew that taking the stairs was a bad idea—”

“Guys, guys, I’m alright, seriously, chill,” Klaus said, pulling his hand away from Allison and wrapping it around his daughter. He sighed, sitting up straight in his chair, “I’m okay, it’s just the last few days have been...a lot. I’m still not used to so much activity, being out and about so much past my daily walks is...well, it’s draining, but I swear to you, I’m okay, I just need a few minutes to sit down.”

Dave gently massaged the stiff muscles in Klaus’s back. “Are you sure?” he asked, carding his fingers through Klaus’s curls, before he cupped his love’s cheek within his palm. “You just look so tired, darlin.”

“I could go for a nap,” Klaus agreed, closing his eyes and leaning into Dave’s touch. “Hm, that sounds nice, actually. I might just have to take one when we get home.”

“That sounds like a great idea, Klaus,“ Ben said. “How about we go right now, get you a head start on that much needed snooze fest, yeah?”

Klaus opened his eyes, massaging his fingertips against the small of Riley’s back, “No,”

“No?” Diego started, “Klaus, you need to rest—”

“I need to _eat_ , Diego,” he held up his hand before noticing how badly it was trembling. Exhaling a sigh he laid it down in his lap. Klaus tilted his head to peer at his brother, “I think getting some food in my system will help me feel a little better.”

“Klaus, when was the last time that you ate?” Luther asked, he was shocked by how badly he was shaking.

“This morning, but not very much. Clearly it wasn’t enough—” Klaus started, but Ben cut him off.

“He’s barely eaten anything at all the last few days,” Ben said, laying his hand on Klaus’s shoulder “Maybe you’re right, a meal ought to do you some good. Let’s get you fed, then get you home, okay?”

Klaus nodded his head before resting his chin atop Riley’s curls, once again allowing his eyes to drift closed. “Okay.”

Dave and the rest of the family agreed it would be best if Klaus stayed seated while they all busied themselves with selecting their meals.They knew how badly he needed to rest whenever he outright admitted it. Klaus was happy for the little break. He smiled, thanking them when they returned with the food. He wasn’t actually hungry, but he did wonder if eating even just a little something may help curb how lightheaded and weak he was feeling. He knew he couldn’t stomach a full meal, he simply didn’t have the appetite to even attempt it, but he did request to share a fruit cup with Riley. It wasn’t much, but he hoped it would be just enough. They all sat in near silence; Klaus could almost feel all of his siblings’ eyes ogling him, studying his every move. He knew they expected him to finish his food, but he just… _couldn’t_. Klaus was thankful that Riley seemed much more interested in their fruit cup than her chicken nuggets, easily helping him finish it and effectively getting his siblings off his case. Klaus leaned back, blowing out a breath while he ran his palm over his stomach. He knew he hadn’t eaten much, but he found that he was feeling a little bit nauseous. This is what he got, he supposed, for forcing himself to eat when he really wasn’t hungry. Closing his eyes, he continued to rub his ailing belly.

Klaus groaned in discomfort when Riley shifted in his lap, jostling his upset tummy when she swiveled so she was facing her father, “Daddy, can we ice skate?”

“We should really go home soon, sweetie,“ Dave started, laying his palm over her back. “Your daddy is really tired, maybe next time, okay?”

“No, it’s okay,” Klaus said, opening his eyes to smile at his little girl. He may not be feeling particularly well, but he didn’t want his baby girl’s day ruined over his stupid fatigue, “Since we can’t go to the park we should let her have a little fun.”

“Oh yay! Thank you, daddy! Thank you!” Riley squealed, wrapping her arms around Klaus in the tightest hug before releasing him and clambering off of his lap. She darted around the table, latching onto Five’s hand. “Come on uncle Fifi, come on!” she said, practically dragging him behind her. Five rolled his eyes, his lips quirking into a grin before he wrapped his hand around hers. Vanya joined them out on the ice, leaving the rest of the siblings to sit and wait as they watched Riley tug Five around the rink.

“I can’t believe how much energy the little squirt has,” Luther noted, a fond smile stretching across his features as he watched Riley skate.

“Pfft, you have no idea,” Ben started, “she’s a real hoot, though. Definitely will keep you on your toes!”

“I don’t know how you guys do it, I’m pooped after just a few hours! And I thought Claire had energy!” Allison teased. She laughed, tucking a strand of curls behind her ear.

“She’s definitely a whirlwind,” Klaus giggled. “She’s like my own personal tasmanian devil, she definitely wears me out by the end of the day,” he started, his features softening into a warm expression as his gaze trailed to his daughter out on the ice. She looked so happy, sloppily skating around the rink flanked on either side by Five and Vanya who were practically holding her up. She didn’t have much grace, something she definitely shared with her father, but she wasn’t going to let that dampen her fun. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Speaking of wearing you out,” Diego started. “How are you feeling now? Did the food help, do you need any more?”

Klaus pursed his lips, nodding his head. “Yeah, it helped. I feel a lot better, actually, thanks,” he pulled his water closer, taking a few small sips. 

“Good, that’s good, Klaus,” Luther said. “Do you need more water or anything? I can get—”

“Luther, I’m fine,” Klaus assured, bearing his teeth in a wide grin. “I feel loads better, peachy keen, seriously!” Sitting up straighter, Klaus crossed one leg over the other, draping his arm over the back of his chair. He closed his eyes when the action made his stomach cramp in protest. Running his palm over his belly, he smiled at his siblings, “I can’t believe my little girl is having her first choir concert in four days.” It may have been his own way of deflecting all of this unwanted attention away from himself, but he truly was so overwhelmingly excited and proud of his little girl, “I’m so glad you’re all going to come. I know it will mean the world to Riley when she sees you all came to support her.”

“Of course, bro,” Diego said, a proud smile adorning his features. “No way would we miss this!”

“She’s going to do great, I just know it,” Allison beamed. “With that dress we got her she’s definitely got the look, hopefully she’s got more skill when it comes to singing than you.” She winked.

“Honestly, I’m hurt,” Klaus said, closing his eyes and laying his palm over his heart. “First Vanya and Luther, now you? I am not that bad of a singer!”

“Eh,” Luther said, teetering his hand in the air in an unsure motion, “that’s debatable.”

“You guys are awful, he sings perfectly fine,” Dave defended, kissing Klaus’s cheek. “Riley and I look forward to him singing us awake every morning and to bed every night.”

“It’s a miracle none of us are deaf yet, really,” Ben noted. His tone was serious, but his smirk was playful. “However, I can vouch on Riley's behalf, the little lady has the voice of an angel.”

“She gets it from her daddy,” Dave smiled, ruffling Klaus’s curls. Klaus swatted at his hand, exhaling a soft giggle before leaning tiredly against Dave’s shoulder. He may have been feeling a bit better, but he was still drained of energy.

“Oh? I didn’t know you sing, Dave!” Diego laughed, “Glad she could absorb some talent from one of her daddy’s.”

“Did I miss a memo or something? Did an email go out? What is this, ‘be mean to your brother’ day? What did I do to deserve such abuse?!” Klaus pouted, nuzzling his nose against Dave’s neck. “Baby, they’re being mean to me. Defend my honor!” he whined, prodding his index finger against Dave’s ribs, making him squirm when it tickled.

“Now children, play nice,” Dave lectured, waggling his finger in the air. “Are you really going to keep bullying him when he’s already not feeling well?”

“He started it!” Ben accused. “And you heard him, he’s fine! Which means he’s fair game!”

“What?!” Klaus said, sitting up, “Did not!”

“Did too!”

“Did—”

Their childish banter was cut short when a brilliant blue flash and a loud pop deposited Five back into his chair. “I need a break,” he exclaimed, slumping tiredly against his seat. “Your kid’s trying to kill me!”

Klaus smiled when Riley skated up to the glass divider of the rink, holding her tiny hands up to delicately pound on the window. “Come back and play with me Fifi! We were having fun!”

Vanya, Allison and Diego all snickered, making pouty faces as they mocked their pint sized hellian of a sibling.

“Yeah, come back and play with us!” Vanya goaded condescendingly.

“Yeah, _Fifi_ , don’t be such a downer! Look at her face! She wants to play with her wittle uncle,” Diego teased, patting Five’s shoulder roughly. 

Five rolled his eyes, tipping his head back to rest against the chair as he exhaled an exasperated groan. His reaction was priceless, no one could contain their laughter and it trumpeted throughout the food court; loud enough to turn heads. Klaus wished he could always have fun like this, his husband and daughter always brought so much joy into his life, but the rare occasions he’d get to spend time with his siblings was always precious to him. However, today his happiness was short lived. Klaus’s laughter abruptly shifted to coughing, a painful dry hacking that surged unexpectedly from deep within his diaphragm. He wrenched his eyes closed, leaning forward to cup his palm over his mouth to stifle his spluttering when he got a sharp pain in his heart. Klaus gasped in agony, clenching his fist in his shirt above his chest. Klaus grimaced as he struggled to catch his breath. Fuck, why was he in so much pain?

Dave rubbed his back, trying desperately to soothe him, his concerned gaze tracking between Klaus’s eyes. “Breathe baby, are you alright?”

“Klaus, are you okay?” Ben questioned, laying his hand on his shoulder.

“Fuck, bro, what was that?” Diego asked, eyebrows furrowed in a worried expression.

Luckily, the pain left just as quickly as it came on. Swallowing, Klaus leaned back in his seat, his chest heaving for oxygen. “I’m fine,” he reassured, taking a shaky breath before laying his palm over his rampaging heart. “Just...got a little too excited, is all. I haven’t laughed like this in a long time.”

“Try to slow down your breathing, Klaus,” Luther instructed. 

“Yeah, take a deep breath,” Allison said, reaching forward to take his free hand into her own. “You’ve gotta try to calm down, this isn’t good for your heart.”

Klaus closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. He hated this; they were all having so much fun, of course he had to go and screw it all up. And now he was lightheaded again, and whatever energy he’d managed to scrounge up from his snack was all but gone. He could feel himself beginning to tremble again from his fatigue. 

Dave must have noticed, he always did, “I think we should get you home, now.”

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea, Klaus. You should probably try to get some rest,” Diego agreed. 

“Yeah,” Klaus said through his labored breaths, “Yeah, I think...I should.”

“Come on,” Dave hooked his arm around Klaus’s waist, helping him onto his unsteady feet. “Let's get you home.”

* * *

The car ride home was rather uneventful; Klaus struggled to stay awake for a good portion of it, he was just so tired, so he eventually gave up on even trying. It wasn’t a particularly long nap, only about fifteen minutes, but when Dave woke him up after they arrived back home he could feel how badly his body needed more sleep. Klaus slowly leveraged himself out of the truck before opening the back seat where Riley had fallen asleep, too. Klaus exhaled a tired chuckle as he pulled his daughter’s slumbering form into his arms.

“Klaus, please, let me,” Ben offered, trying to take Riley from him, but Klaus just smiled, shaking his head. “Nah, that’s okay, Benny. I got her.” Klaus carried Riley inside, gently laying his little girl down on his bed. 

Dave followed behind them into the bedroom. Pressing his palm against the small of Klaus’s back, he kissed his temple. “How are you feeling?”

Klaus smiled, kissing Dave’s lips, “Honestly? I’m tired, but great. Today was a lot of fun.” Klaus pressed his forehead to Dave’s chest, wrapping his arms around him in a hug.

Dave buried his lips into Klaus’s curls, “It was fun, wasn’t it?” He ran his palm in soothing circles against his back. “She’s all tuckered out, huh?” he noted, admiring Riley’s snoozing figure on their mattress.

Klaus nodded his head, “Oh yeah, she’s out cold. I guess you could say like father, like daughter, huh?” He smiled fondly at his baby girl, “Figured I’d save her the steps and just put her exactly where she’d rather nap anyways. Her poor toys must be so lonely.” He giggled, “At least Bambi won’t be so lonesome.”

“Lucky him,” Dave said, hugging Klaus closer, kissing his shoulder. Klaus smiled, trailing his hands down Dave’s body, dipping his fingers into his pockets and cupping his ass in his palms. “Wow, feeling a bit frisky, are we?” he laughed, pulling away just enough to snag Klaus’s pout for a kiss.

Klaus smiled into the kiss, gently tugging on Dave’s bottom lip with his teeth. He may have been absolutely exhausted, but he would always have enough energy to show his husband just how much he loved him. “ _Always_ for you, baby.”

“You’re wild,” Dave noted, rubbing his nose against Klaus’s. He couldn’t believe this man; every second he spent with him he was reminded even more exactly how much he loved him. Klaus could be exhausted, sick, feeling beaten down or broken and he still always managed to wear a smile on his face brighter than the sun. Dave loved Klaus so immensely, there were not enough words to describe the way he felt every time he’d look into his husband’s big, beautiful green eyes. “I love you.”

“Aww, Davey, I love you, too,” Klaus beamed, pressing his lips to Dave’s again. 

They held each other for a few minutes, basking in one another’s ambiance, simply enjoying the other’s company. It was crazy how in love they were. Dave could feel Klaus’s energy begin to fade, though; his body leaning heavily against his own as he held him within his arms. “You hungry? I was about to make us some dinner, any special requests?”

“Hmm,” Klaus hummed thoughtfully, his eyes fluttering into slits. He could barely keep them open any longer. “Actually, I’m still really tired. I think I’m going to lie down for a bit, join our princess for a little nap.” He yawned, resting his head against Dave’s shoulder, “Wake us when it’s ready?”

“Of course, darlin. I think that’s a good idea, you earned it,” he kissed Klaus on the lips, hugging him one last time. “Get some rest, okay? I love you.”

Klaus sat on the edge of the mattress, being mindful not to wake their daughter. “I love you, too,” he whispered. Dave nodded, smiling at his little family before leaving the room to allow them to sleep. 

Klaus finally laid his weary body down. He sighed at the instant relief it brought him, pulling the blanket over himself and Riley, curling up beside his little girl. He smiled as he listened to her delicate snores. Closing his eyes, he sprawled his hand over his chest, feeling his permanently irregular heartbeat thumping wildly beneath his palm. Klaus didn’t know how to explain it, but he’d been feeling a little… _off_ for the last few days; today especially. His heart had been extra fluttery, and he couldn’t believe how _tired_ he was. He knew he’d been much more busy compared to normal, but still, he would not in a million years have ever expected having a little _fun_ would leave his body feeling so wrecked quite like _this_. It was weird, though. He’d been living with his heart condition for a couple of years now, typically he could feel when a bad day was coming, but this somehow felt so much _different_ than what he would usually experience. He knew he was okay, it was just… _abnormal_ for him to say the least.

Riley rolled over in her sleep, cuddling up against her daddy’s bare chest, pressing her cheek atop his heart. He smiled, wrapping his arms around her tiny figure. An adoring warmth flooded his cheeks as he watched his precious baby resting peacefully. Klaus smoothed her hair out of her eyes, kissing her forehead before settling his lips into her curls and closing his eyes. He quickly succumbed to sleep that way, with his baby girl within his arms, wearing a loving smile on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked this! Thank you everyone who’s reading along, commented, given kudos, subscribed or bookmarked thus far! I hope you’ll all continue to enjoy! Klaus and the family are definitely in for quite the journey in this story with lots of ups and downs, but I’m happy they have each other!
> 
> I crave validation y’all so I’d adore it so much if you’d be so kind as to comment and let me know how you’re feeling reading this! Predictions, questions, suggestions on what you’d like to see, anything at all!
> 
> I hope you all are staying healthy and safe out there! I hope to see you all again next Friday with a new update! 
> 
> Thank you again! :)
> 
> Also- Thank you (as always) to ObliqueOptimism and anielle for all of their help with this story! Y’all are amazing! I appreciate you!


	4. We Could Be Perfect One Last Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I’m late posting guys! As a heads up this chapter is probably rough, I didn’t have anyone beta read it like I normally have been, but I just wanted to get it posted! I might update it and fix it later on down the road, but for now it’s fine! Lol
> 
> Be sure to read the end authors note :)

Klaus shivered, hugging his pillow to his chest as he burrowed his slender body deeper beneath the plush blankets on his bed. He dug his chilled toes into the sheets, pulling his knees tightly against himself in an effort to get warm. Inhaling a breath, he rolled over, nuzzling his nose into his soft cotton pillowcase. He was sleeping, taking a nap for the _second time_ that day; he was just so _tired_. Three days had already passed since their shopping excursion, giving him what he’d _hoped_ would be plenty of time to allow his body and heart to recover from all of the activity from earlier in the week, but judging by his lack of energy, it still hadn’t been enough. Dave was sure to make Klaus take these past few days easy, even going as far as to insist they skip their daily walk to the park with Riley. Klaus, of course, urged that Dave and Riley still went. After all, she always had loads of energy to burn, and Klaus didn’t want his baby girl to go stir crazy or be bored on account of him. Besides, this wasn’t a punishment, so why deny her the one activity she always looked so forward to? 

The bed dipped beside him and Klaus didn’t so much as stir; a strong pair of arms wound around his waist from behind, encircling him in a warm embrace. Fingers carded through his curls with a feather light touch, slowly but surely helping to rouse him from his slumber. Klaus could feel soft wisps of breath dancing over his exposed neck, sending goosebumps sprawling over his pale skin. He hummed, shifting around until his body was facing the new occupant on the mattress, and instantly buried his forehead against Dave’s broad chest. Dave kissed his shoulder, and Klaus licked his lips then sighed, cozying up closer against his husband’s warmth. It was moments like these that reminded Klaus how thankful he was that Dave was able to work from home, allowing them to enjoy these precious stolen moments together. Klaus always cherished any extra time he could spend with his love, and right now, simply being able to cuddle with him was a welcome gift. Dave ran his palm down his arm, and Klaus’s body involuntarily trembled beneath his touch.

Dave frowned. “Are you cold, darlin? You’re shivering,” he spoke softly, continuing to glide his warm hands over his love’s exposed skin. Klaus’s teeth chattered and he groaned, bobbing his head in a nod. Dave hated seeing Klaus so uncomfortable and wondered how long he’d been laying there bitterly cold. Reaching down for the blanket’s, Dave pulled them up and over Klaus’s shoulders, being sure to tuck it snugly beneath his chin. Klaus scooted himself impossibly tighter against Dave, nuzzling into the curve of his neck, trying desperately to seek out his warmth. Dave hugged Klaus closer, using the friction from his palms to help keep the cold from seeping into his love’s chilled bones. “There, is this any better?”

“Hmm,” Klaus hummed contentedly, a delicate smile tugging against his relaxed features, “yeah, much, especially now that you’re here. Thn’k you baby,” he parted his eyes open into meager slits, his weary emerald gaze meeting his husband’s vibrant blues. Dave smiled down at his love. It would be an understatement to say that Dave had been concerned about Klaus for the past few days. In fact, the truth of the matter was that Dave had been worried about Klaus over the course of this past week; it was no secret his health had been teetering over the edge after pushing himself well beyond his usual limitations, and the obvious toll it had taken on him was undeniable. Even now, after days of utter inactivity and rest Klaus was still just so exhausted. 

“Is this your second nap, darlin? I thought you’d woken up earlier,” Dave asked, cupping Klaus’s cheek within his palm before running the pad of his thumb over his high cheekbone. 

Exhaling a long sigh, Klaus bobbed his head, closing his eyes, “Yeah, I did, but I was still tired. Decided to rest my eyes for a little bit longer.” He spoke softly. Unfortunately, Klaus had been sleeping a lot more frequently as of late. For the past three days he’d been taking daily naps, which typically only lasted for an hour or two. Today, though, he’d slept nearly his entire day away. He still awoke with the sun each day, sticking to their daily ritual; helping get Riley ready for the day, and assisting Dave in bringing her to school before coming home to lie down for a little while longer. Except, that ‘little while longer’ turned into a lengthy four hour nap. He’d only gotten up at that point to use the restroom, have a few sips of water and peek in on Dave during his lunch break before his fatigue caught back up to him. He was dizzy, his body felt like it was being pinned beneath a heavy weighted blanket of pure exhaustion. He tried to fight it for as long as he could, but after nearly tumbling off of the stool in the kitchen he’d quickly lost all motivation to stay conscious for even a moment longer and decided to go lie back down. Klaus had just barely managed to stumble back into their bedroom, plopping himself onto the bed before he instantly drifted back to sleep.

Dave’s lips quirked into a worried expression. He hated how badly Klaus was suffering after just trying to have some fun with his loved ones this week. He wished his heart condition didn’t affect him so negatively, or make him so tired. Dave wanted nothing more than to allow Klaus to continue resting; after all, for him to still be sleeping only proved he so clearly needed the extra rest, but he knew how Klaus was. He was well aware if he didn’t at least offer the option to wake up, then Klaus would be perturbed at him. With a sigh, he pressed his lips against Klaus’s forehead, then his lips before nuzzling his nose against his own, “I'm sorry baby, I hate to do this to you, I know you’re tired, but we gotta get up soon to pick up Riley from school,” he whispered.

Klaus hummed pitifully, “But, I’m comfy now.”

Dave exhaled a soft giggle through his nose, “What, you weren't before?”

“Not like I am now,” he wrapped his arms around Dave, kissing his chest. “God, you’re so warm and snuggly. How could you seriously expect me to leave our little cuddle zone?” Klaus groaned, a chill running down his spine, causing a harsh shiver to quake his body. He curled up closer against Dave, once again burying his face within the crook of his neck.

“Are you alright?” he asked, taking a moment to cradle Klaus closer against himself, “ I don’t understand why you’re so cold, you’re wrapped up in the sheet, the thick ass comforter, _and_ the fuzzy throw blanket,” he chuckled, tucking the blankets back over Klaus’s arm when he realized it had managed to somehow peek out of the covers.

“You know I run cold, baby.” Klaus said. It was true, he did tend to get chilled rather easily, partly from his ghostly powers, but even more so now due to his heart condition. It didn’t happen often, usually only occurring around his ‘bad days’, but considering how run down he was feeling this week, it certainly didn't come as a surprise that he was currently a Klaus-size version of a frozen popsicle. Thankfully, with Dave’s added warmth, he was finally starting to defrost a little. “I feel like I’m a marshmallow and you’re an open fire. Thank God you run hot, babe. I can almost feel my toes again.” he snickered, wiggling his numb toes as he planted his feet between Dave’s calves.

Dave himself shivered at the action, “Geeze, you weren’t kidding. Are those your toes or ice cubes?”

“Honestly, right now both, I guess.” Klaus joked. He sighed in relief at the blanket of warmth radiating from his husband’s body, his own body melting like a polar ice cap against his touch. Klaus's eyelashes began to flutter and he could feel himself relaxing; his exhaustion catching up to him again now that he was truly comfortable. He sighed, allowing his eyes to drift closed, the strong pull of fatigue winning him over and lulling him back into a much needed sleep.

Dave could feel his husband go limp within his arms and knew how tired he clearly still was. He only hoped Klaus would listen to his body and do what felt right for his health, and knew what he needed to do to ensure that he did, “Why don’t you stay home, sit this excursion out, yeah? I can pick Riley up—” he began to suggest, but Klaus shook his head in protest.

“No, it’s okay,” he began, his eyes slowly creeping open, “Wait, is it really that late already?”

“Yeah, baby. It’s almost time to go, but if you’re still this tired, maybe it’d be best if you kept resting—”

“No, no,” Klaus cleared his throat, sucking in a quick breath to clear his sinuses, “I’ve rested enough, besides, I’m up.”

“Your eyes aren’t even open, silly.” Dave noted, running his thumb delicately over the length of his chiseled jaw.

In a show of effort, Klaus stretched out his aching limbs. Yawning, he opened his eyes, “They are now. See, I’m awake.” he assured with a subtle grin. 

Dave shook his head. He should have known he wouldn’t listen. He knew he shouldn’t make Klaus feel guilty over his decision to ignore his body’s pleas for rest, though. It was his body, his health, his comfort, and ultimately, his choice. He couldn’t deny his husband what he evidently so truly wanted within his heart. So Dave smiled broadly as he leaned in to snag his love’s lips in a quick kiss. “Okay then, wakey wakey, let’s go,” he said, before weaseling himself away from Klaus’s prone form to stand. Klaus groaned from the sudden loss of heat, curling up in a ball on the mattress, pulling the blankets over his head. Dave smirked at his husband's dramatics. Even when he was tired, or not feeling his best Klaus still always found a way to make him smile. Grasping the blankets within his fist, Dave tugged them away from his husband, effectively yanking them off of the bed entirely. 

Klaus whined pathetically. Gripping his pillow within his tired limbs, he weakly chucked it at his husband. Unfortunately, in his current state he lacked the strength and the pillow missed its mark, landing limply at the foot of the bed, “Hey, no fair,” he moaned, plopping back against the now barren mattress, “You know I’m cold!” he pouted, forcefully sprawling his limbs out in a mini tantrum.

“Well, good thing you’re getting up now so that you can throw on some clothes to warm up, then, huh?” Dave started, “Now come on, you wanted to go, so get up, lets go.” He finished, playfully patting Klaus’s ass.

Klaus smirked, a soft giggle tearing through his diaphragm, “Okay, I’m up, sheesh. I’ll be right out.” Dave smiled down at him, quickly swooping in to kiss his temple. He ruffled his curls in passing before leaving the room.

Klaus laid there for a few moments longer psyching himself up to be awake; he only hoped his two naps had been enough to help him regain a little energy. Firmly planting his palms against his mattress, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, slowly easing himself upright. He was forced to close his eyes when the room started spinning. He didn’t know why he was so dizzy all of a sudden, maybe he’d gotten up too quickly? He inhaled a deep breath to combat the feeling; when the action caused his chest to spasm uncomfortably and a cough forced its way through his lips. Klaus grimaced, pressing his palm over his heart, groaning when it began to flutter painfully within his chest. It was only then that he noticed the tremor in his limbs. His coughing eventually ceased, and Klaus took a few moments to catch his breath, allowing his heart to calm down. He hated to admit it, but these little coughing spells had been happening rather frequently, as of late. Ever since their little shopping excursion to the mall, really. They never lasted long, only a few seconds, which Klaus was eternally grateful for. Even now, as the pain started to dim, nearly fading away entirely he was left shaky and breathless. He never knew when they were going to strike, but they certainly weren’t much fun whenever they did. He massaged his chest in an effort to sooth the erratic fluttering, he hated how badly his heart had been doing this lately. He could understand after arduous activity, but sitting up after a nap, or brushing his teeth, or sitting down on the couch shouldn’t cause his illness to flare up so badly. It worried Klaus to realize he was undoubtedly probably heading towards one of his ‘bad days’, and he was not looking forward to when that day arrived. 

Klaus’s heart was always so weak on his bad days; he would often be left bed ridden, far too weak and dizzy to even consider standing. He had difficulty breathing, his mind would be left hazy and unfocused, and he would practically be left a lifeless husk of a human being. It was like his heart couldn’t pump enough blood through his body to make it operate appropriately. Certainly not enough for him to be able to care for his daughter, or be there to enjoy his time with her. He hated whenever those days would occur. They were awful for him, sure, but forcing his daughter to experience them? Knowing how badly his illness affected _her_ was the worst part of this hellish disease. He would be lying to himself if he said that he wasn’t scared, terrified, really, whenever he was under the spell of one of those days. The scariest part was the fear of the unknown; was his heart just acting up, or was it _giving up?_ He only hoped, for his daughter's sake, that it would never be the latter.

A few minutes passed and Klaus finally felt well enough to stand. He took it slow, which was wise, as once he was upright he swayed unsteadily on his feet. Klaus couldn’t believe that even after taking two naps he still felt like this. Why was he still so tired? Klaus clumsily stumbled towards the nearest wall, pressing his palm against it in hopes that the light headed feeling would pass quickly. He groaned, closing his eyes to focus on his breathing; the small distance leaving him winded. God, why did he have to feel this way? He was sure to make a mental note not to do so much activity back to back in a week again, clearly he couldn’t physically handle all of the strain. Klaus sighed, pushing off the wall and past his discomfort, opting to get dressed. He didn’t want to keep Dave or his little girl waiting. So he was a little light headed, that was nothing new for him. Klaus felt his way down the wall, stopping in front of his closet before peering inside. He let out a shaky breath and realized he was still shivering. Perhaps a sweater would help warm him up? Klaus tugged out the thickest, warmest sweater he owned off of a hanger before pulling the fluffy navy blue material over his head. He slipped into a pair of black faded jeans and shoved his feet quickly into his worn out black converse before finally making the journey out into the living room where Dave was patiently waiting with a smile on his face.

“Took ya long enough slowpoke—hey, wait, are you wearing a sweater? Baby, it’s eighty degrees outside,” Dave started, his eyebrows furrowing with concern. 

Klaus pursed his lips, nodding his head, “Yeah, well, I’m still cold,” he said matter-of-factly, grinning at his husband while hugging his arms around himself, rubbing his palms over his shoulders. He shivered slightly and could feel a chill running deep within his weary bones. He would eventually warm up, though and knew he could just take the sweater off then, he didn’t know why he was making such a big deal out of it.

“Alright,” Dave nodded, “Are you hungry? I could fix you a little snack before we leave.”

Klaus ran his palm down his stomach, “Nah, I don’t want to spoil my appetite, we should treat Riley to Griddy’s tonight. Little princess deserves a special treat on the eve of her big debut,” he started, smiling at Dave. Honestly, he wasn’t hungry, he knew he had to eat, of course, but he would rather wait until later when they were all settled down for dinner. Maybe then he would have formed more of an appetite. “Are you ready? We shouldn’t keep Riley waiting, her teacher is always nice enough to stay with her, but you know I hate making her stick around longer than necessary.”

“Oh, Griddy’s, that’s a good idea,” Dave’s lips quirked into a subtle grin, grabbing the keys off the counter, “Alrighty then, let’s go get our little girl.”

* * *

Klaus tugged his sweater tighter against himself, reaching to shut off the air vent that was pointed at him with shaky fingers. He shivered, curling up in his seat as he directed his gaze out the window watching the scenery passing by in an unfocused flurry of shapeless objects and colors. The light jostling of the vehicle was making his stomach feel a little queasy, he hoped it was only because he was still so unbelievably tired. The truck ride to Riley’s school was fairly quiet, aside from the light twinkling of the radio and Dave, who would occasionally whistle along to the tune that was playing, drumming his fingers in an upbeat pattern against the steering wheel. Klaus was thankful for the peacefulness of the trip, his head was pounding with the beginning of a headache.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Dave noted eventually, glancing briefly towards his husband to make sure he was alright. Klaus tilted his head towards Dave, opening his mouth to speak, but had to stop himself when the motion caused his stomach to curdle. Klaus closed his eyes, cupping his palm over his mouth in an effort to swallow down his sudden nausea. “Woah, hey, are you okay? Are you going to be sick?” Dave asked, eyeing his husband worriedly.

Thankfully, the nausea passed quickly, and Klaus was able to relax, easing his hand away from his mouth and resting it over his belly. “No, it’s okay, I’m fine,” He assured through his labored breaths. He didn’t know why he felt so sick all of a sudden, maybe he should have tried to eat something light before they left, maybe this was his stomachs way of protesting for not having enough food today.

“No, you just looked sick, baby, what’s wrong?” Dave pleaded with him to be honest.

Klaus sighed, straightening his posture in his chair and tilting his head against the seat, “I think the answer is obvious,” Dave quirked an eyebrow, giving Klaus a quizzical look. What on earth was he talking about, obvious how? Klaus looked at Dave, face dead panned and entirely serious, “I’m pregnant, Dave,” he said, rubbing his hands over his belly, “Cat’s out of the bag, you put a bun in this oven. How does that make you feel, Riley’s going to be a big sister!” He grinned ear to ear.

Dave snorted, rolling his eyes at Klaus, “Babe, let’s try to be serious for a minute here,” he started, which only made Klaus laugh.

“What, I am serious! You knocked me up! Honestly, Davey, you ought to be more careful. I don’t know if my body could handle a pregnancy right now, what with my—”

“ _Klaus_ ,” Dave cut him off, voice stern, “Seriously, are you feeling okay? You look a little pale, and you can’t tell me you didn’t almost just spew all over this vehicle.”

Klaus sighed, slumping against his chair, folding his arms over his abdomen in a pout, “You’re no fun,” he started. Klaus’s lips tugged into a gentle smile, his hand sneaking across the center console to take Dave’s hand within his own, “Honestly, I’m fine. Scout’s honor, I just got a little cramp, probably pulled a muscle or something, you know I’m like a contortionist when I sleep.” He smiled broadly, hoping to calm his husband’s fears.

Dave exhaled a sigh, rubbing his thumb over the delicate skin on the back of Klaus’s hand. He only hoped that Klaus was being honest with him, “Alright, if you’re sure,” Klaus smiled, nodding his head. Dave’s lips perked into an uncertain grin before he returned his attention back on the road.

Klaus continued to hold Dave’s hand, shifting his position so he was facing towards the window again. He gnawed at the skin around his thumb nail anxiously, squeezing his eyes shut when his stomach cramped again. He hated that he felt this way. Klaus knew in his heart that he was fine, though. A little nausea was nothing to worry about, soon he’d be able to eat, and hopefully a little food would be enough to help settle his stomach. 

They arrived at Riley’s school, and of course, she was the last one there waiting at the car circle with her teacher, Mrs. Northrup. Klaus smiled apologetically as he and Dave approached the two, wiggling his fingers in a quick greeting as he scooped Riley into his arms.

“Hi princess, did you have a good day at school?” Klaus smiled, nuzzling his nose to hers. “Thank you for waiting with her Mrs. N, I’m sorry we took so long, I took a nap and I guess I overslept a little—” Klaus began to apologize.

Mrs. Northrup waved her hand dismissively, “Oh, it’s no problem at all, I assure you,” she smiled broadly at Klaus, patting his shoulder. “It’s my pleasure, really. Riley always keeps me plenty entertained, you all must have so much fun at home!” She giggled as she stroked her palm over Riley’s back. “I hope you slept well, dear. Speaking of, how have you been feeling lately, Klaus?” she asked.

Mrs. Northrup, or rather, Riley’s entire school were all well aware of Klaus’s health condition and were all ready to chip in to help whenever necessary. Whether that meant to stay late with Riley to watch her to allow them more time to pick her up, or even just accepting when Riley needed to arrive at school a little later than usual. She’d been there to help Dave or Ben whenever Klaus would be having a ‘bad day’, and had even been kind enough to help the family by preparing meals for them all to take home. She genuinely cared about them, and wanted to do whatever she could to aid them.

“I’ve been okay, thank you for asking. I’ve just been a little more tired than usual,” Klaus supplied honestly, adjusting Riley on his hip.

“Ah, yes, I’m not surprised. Riley told the class all about your busy week this week,” she started, bobbing her head as she spoke, “I certainly hope you’ve been taking it easy, then. Dave, have you been making sure he gets plenty of rest?”

“Yes ma'am,” Dave said, holding his fingers to his brow in a firm salute, “I promise, plenty of naps. That’s why we were late today, little cuddle-bug didn’t want to leave his blankie cocoon.” he smirked, kissing Klaus’s temple.

Klaus exhaled a soft giggle through his nose. “I was warm, okay!” he pouted.

Mrs. Northrup laughed heartily at their banter, her smile stretching her plump cheeks. “Well, just continue to rest up, alright? You’re going to need your energy to watch Riley perform tomorrow. She’s been working so hard on this, she’s going to do so wonderful, you both ought to be so proud!”

“Oh, trust me, we are,” Klaus assured her, hugging his little girl closer, “I can’t wait. Who knew, my baby - a super star!” he joked. Smiling warmly, Klaus tucked a curl behind Riley’s ear before looking back at Mrs. Northrup, “Thank you again for waiting with her, I owe you some of Dave’s peach cobbler for all of your help. We better get going, though. Have a great night, we’ll see you tomorrow!” he flashed his ‘Goodbye’ hand before turning to walk back to the truck with Riley.

“I’ll get on that peach cobbler for you stat, I promise! Thank you again for watching our little hooligan Mrs. N!” Dave smiled, shaking her hand.

“Oh, take as long as you need, dear. I’m always here. Riley is a delight, you two have raised such a wonderful young lady, she truly is an exemplary student, and heavens, we can always count on her to make us laugh. All the kids just absolutely adore her, and I do, too.” She smiled, reaching out to hug Dave instead.

Dave returned the hug, smiling as he watched Klaus kissing Riley’s cheek as they walked to the truck. “Thank you, Mrs. N, I can’t take any of the credit, though, she gets it from her father.”

“And you too, dear,” she assured with a smile, patting Dave’s hand, “Now, go on, I won’t keep you from your evening. I’ll see you all tomorrow,” she said, turning to leave before pausing in her tracks, “And Dave,” Dave spun to face her again, “Klaus looked a little pale to me, make sure that he rests. And the poor thing is skin and bones, get some food into him.” 

Dave’s lips curved into a gentle smile, “Yes ma’am, I will, I promise.”

The car ride home was filled with lighthearted banter, Klaus and Dave asking Riley all about her day at school. She was beaming, telling them all about how wonderful it was, and how excited she was to share her show and tell with her classmates. She’d brought the sea shells she collected earlier in the week from their trip to the beach and all of the other students thought they were so pretty, especially the ‘glittery shiny one’. She was sure to show her daddy’s the pictures she drew during art, as well.

Klaus smiled with pride at her masterpiece. “Wow, Riley! This is amazing, is that me and daddy Davey dancing?” He asked as he looked at the first picture.

Her dimples cratered her cheeks from her broad grin, “Yup!” She squealed handing Klaus her other drawings one by one, “Then this one is me and uncle Benny dancing, this one is me and uncle Fifi and auntie Vanny ice skating, and this one is you and me trying on my dresses! You looked so pretty daddy!”

“These are beautiful princess!” He beamed, showing Dave the drawings now that they were sitting at a red light, “Our baby girl is so talented!”

“Wow, Riley! These are amazing, sweet pea! You’re so good!” Dave smiled at the drawings, even he was impressed by how good they were. He turned to reach in the back seat to pat her knee, “Aren’t you our gifted little angel!” He smiled, before shifting to squeeze Klaus’s thigh, “And she’s right, you did look beautiful. I still think we should have bought you that little sequined dress.” He giggled.

Klaus smiled fondly at Dave, looping his fingers between his husband’s. “I do look nice in sequins,” he batted his long lashes with a grin.

“You look good in anything, my love.” Dave agreed before peaking at Riley from the rearview mirror. “Hey Riles, do you want to go to the park tonight before dinner sweetie?”

Riley’s face lit up like the Fourth of July at the mention of her favorite place, “Oh yes! Can we daddy Davey? Oh please! I want to visit my ducky friends!”

“Of course baby, let’s just take daddy home first and change out of your school clothes, okay?”

Klaus turned so he was facing Riley, “Or,” he sang, smiling mirthfully at his daughter before peering at Dave with eager eyes, “how about daddy comes too?”

Dave looked at Klaus, concern evident across his features. Klaus still wasn’t quite back up to par with his health yet. Even now, just looking into his love’s eyes he could see how tired he still was and didn’t know that going to the park, given his current state, would be the wisest decision, “You sure? Darlin, If you’re still tired you should—“

“I’m sure, baby,” Klaus assured quickly before returning his gaze to Riley, “I’m well rested now, and besides, I want to spend some quality time with my favorite people.” He smiled.

“Yay! I’m so excited, daddy! I’m so happy you’re going to come have fun with us! Our ducky friends missed you, too!” Riley cheered, clapping her hands together with glee.

Klaus settled himself down into his chair, taking Dave’s hand back within his own before closing his eyes. “Me too, princess. Me too.”

* * *

They arrived back at the house just as Ben was getting home from school, “Hold the door, Benjamin!” Klaus called, carrying Riley in his arms.

“Uncle Benny!” She squealed as Ben greeted her on the front porch, promptly taking her into his own arms.

“Hey there honey bee! I missed you!” He exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug and kissing her cheek. 

Riley giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Uncle Benny, we’re all going to the park, will you come too?” She asked, pleading with her big, blue puppy dog eyes.

“Yeah, Benny, join us!” Klaus invited with a grin, he followed into the house behind them before tiredly slumping himself onto one of the stools at the kitchen island. He was still unbelievably tired, but he wasn’t going to let that ruin his fun.

“You’re going to the park, Klaus?” Ben asked, eyeing his brother’s slumped physique. “Are you sure that you’re feeling up to it?”

Klaus exhaled a long sigh, “Yes, _mom_ , I’m feeling up for anything right now,” he started, running his palm down his stomach, “I need to get out of this house for a bit, besides, I missed our daily adventures.” He smiled at his brother reassuringly. 

“Alright,” Ben said, sending his sibling a quick grin before peering back at his niece, “Lets go get changed and go to the park, then!”

* * *

The family set out on their evening walk to the park together. Ben carried Riley on his back, giving the little girl a piggyback ride while Dave held Klaus’s hand. The weather was beautiful today, a soft breeze ruffling the leaves on the trees, and the curls on Klaus’s head, sending a chill down his spine. He shivered slightly, pressing himself closer to Dave as he walked. He was honestly enjoying himself, just happy to be out of the house and out in nature again with his loved ones, but even he had to admit he was still exhausted. Klaus’s pace was slower than usual, Dave must’ve taken note as he wrapped his arm around Klaus’s back, slowing his own stride to match his husband’s. Klaus was grateful, of course. He was tired, he’d hoped his two naps would have given him a little more energy than this, but he was happy nonetheless to feel more alive again, and not just be a slumbering lump beneath his blankets. Besides, other than feeling a little drowsy, Klaus felt fine.

As soon as the family made it to the park, Riley took Ben by his hand and all but dragged him towards the jungle gym. Dave and Klaus stood nearby just enjoying the show the pair were putting on for them. Ben was chasing Riley up the stairs and they both were racing down the slides seeing who could make it to the bottom the fastest. Riley, of course, won every time. Her parents couldn’t contain their laughter as they observed the pair; now they were seeing who could make it to the top, trying to scale back up the slides. Ben was begging Riley to slow down, before dramatically falling down the slide and holding his arms out before him crying ‘go on without me!’ Riley giggled loudly, her angelic voice carrying swiftly to her loving parents ears. Klaus’s heart filled with so much love watching his little princess being so happy.

The uncle and niece duo made their rounds around the park, stopping by to greet Riley’s ducky friends before they eventually made it to the swing set. Ben pushed Riley as high as he could swing her, his own laughter echoing alongside hers. Klaus and Dave talked quietly amongst themselves, mostly just about going to Griddy’s for dinner, and chattering about Riley’s performance the next night, when Riley came barreling up to her father, leaping into his unexpecting arms, nearly toppling him over. Dave laughed as he steadied Klaus, preventing his husband from falling to the ground while Klaus just laughed, wrapping his arms around Riley and adjusting her position on his hip.

Riley wrapped her arms around his neck, looking longingly into his eyes, “Daddy, will you play tag with me and uncle Benny?”

Klaus pouted his lips out, humming thoughtfully as he strummed his fingers through his facial hair, “Hm, I don’t know princess, maybe I should—tag!” He called jovially, planting Riley’s feet on the pavement, tapping her shoulder gently, “You’re it!” He finished, a wide grin spread across his handsome features. 

Klaus pivoted, taking just a few steps before five tiny fingers tapped against his side, “Tag! You’re it now, daddy!” Riley exclaimed, turning and bolting away from her father. Klaus smiled, looking around at Dave and Ben who each were laughing watching them play, before he began to chase after them, effectively sucking them into his silly antics.

Klaus chased them all around the park, but he quickly found that they were all much faster than he was. He wasn’t going to let that deter him from trying, though. After a couple of laps around the playground area and unsuccessfully tagging Dave or Ben, he shifted his focus back on Riley. She squealed when she saw him zeroing in on her, running as fast as her legs would carry her.

Klaus laughed, finally nearing her, “Ah-ha,” he started, outstretching his hand towards his little girl, “I’ve got you—“ Klaus gasped, his vision blurring and his knees going weak when an explosion of pain tore through his heart. He felt like he’d been shot in his chest; the sensation was excruciating, his breath caught in his throat as he choked on the trapped air resting upon his tongue. He stumbled, barely making it to a tree before his legs gave out on him and he all but collapsed against it, leaning heavily against the rough bark. The harsh wood dug against his arms, biting into his flesh, but he couldn’t even bring himself to care, he was far too focused on the agony he’d suddenly been forced to endure. Thankfully the pain was gone; just a quick burst and then it was over, but fuck, that was painful and left Klaus struggling to regain his breath. Left winded and incredibly dizzy, Klaus closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the trunk of the tree as he attempted to regain his composure. He heaved for each breath, groaning when the air rattled his chest, throwing him into a fit of coughing. He was so tired, and dizzy, maybe he should sit down for a minute…

“Daddy, you’re supposed to tag us, not the tree!” Riley giggled as she stopped to watch her father.

Klaus’s body started to drop, sliding down the trunk of the tree when a hand settled upon his shoulder, keeping him from falling, “Klaus,” that was Dave’s voice, it sounded muffled, muted from the ringing in his ears. Dave examined his husband worriedly; Klaus’s features were strained, it was obvious he was in pain, “Baby, what is it, are you alright?”

Klaus opened his eyes and was met by a hazy field of dark spots obscuring his vision, his body felt so heavy, he was struggling to focus. A wave of nausea encompassed him, and Klaus nodded his head, swallowing thickly as he closed his eyes, “Yeah,” his words were shaky, just like he found himself to be, “I just need - a minute - to catch my breath,” he stated through his panting. “I didn’t realize I was - chasing after cheetahs - you’re all too fast for me!” Klaus giggled softly when he finally started to feel a little better. He straightened, shifting his sight towards Dave with a soft reassuring grin.

Ben picked Riley up and approached his brother cautiously, his own features showing his obvious concern, “Daddy you have to tag one of us, silly!” Riley reminded, oblivious to her father's evident discomfort.

Klaus pushed himself away from the tree, swiveling to face Dave. With unsteady hands he tapped his husband's shoulder, “You’re it,” he winked before smiling at his daughter, “Daddy’s going to - to go sit down for a couple minutes, I’m pooped!”

“Klaus are you okay?” Ben asked gently, coming closer to rest his hand over his brother’s.

Klaus bobbed his head, swallowing again as he pressed his palm against his rolling belly, “Oh yeah, I’m fine, just think I ran too fast. I just need to catch my breath, I’m okay, though, really. Nothing to worry about.” 

“Let’s get you to a bench, darlin,” Dave wrapped his arm around Klaus, easing him away from the tree and guiding him to the nearest bench to sit down. Klaus’s legs trembled beneath him as he allowed his body to slump into the seat. Dave sat beside him, threading his fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck and ducking his head to look him in his eyes, “We’re alone now, talk to me and _please_ , be honest, are you feeling okay?”

Klaus smiled, exhaling a soft laugh with a broad grin, “Baby, yes, I’m fine,” he started, patting Dave’s knee, “I’m a little tired, sure, but I’m alright, I just need to sit for a little bit.”

“I’ll sit with you, then,” Dave assured, scooting closer to Klaus and moving to wrap his arm around his waist.

Klaus shook his head, grabbing his hand within his own, “No way, I’m fine, besides, _you’re it_ , you need to go play with Riley and Ben,” he smiled, pressing his palm to Dave’s neck, “Don’t leave them hanging, look at them, they’re lost without you.” he giggled as he watched Riley and Ben standing by the tree; it was obvious Riley was asking why no one was tagging and why the game had stopped while Ben was scratching his head, trying (and clearly failing) at explaining the situation to her. “Now, go on, don’t keep them waiting. I’ll just be right here, I promise I won’t try to run off and hide anywhere. Shoo shoo, run along now, bye bye.” he softly nudged at Dave, who giggled in return.

“You’re sure?” Dave asked one last time as he stood. He hated the idea of leaving Klaus at all when clearly something was wrong. Klaus was adamant he was fine, but that didn’t lessen Dave’s worrying.

Klaus laughed genuinely, waving his ‘Goodbye’ hand, “Yes, now go on, scoot! Tag Riley for me!”

Dave quirked a grin. He didn’t want to leave him alone, but he also knew how stubborn Klaus was - if he didn’t listen, Klaus wouldn’t stop insisting until he won. Bobbing his head in a nod, he returned to the game. Klaus smiled as he watched them play, he loved listening to their laughter and seeing their joy lighting up their features, he only wished he could be out there having fun alongside them, instead of watching from afar. Klaus’s eyebrows furrowed in discomfort and he groaned when a less severe pain in his chest flared. He pressed his palm to his heart, rubbing tiny circles in an attempt to soothe it. This was a normal pain. These small cramps and tiny flutters happened occasionally, and he was used to them. They were part of his normal everyday life. _That pain_ , though? That agonizing pain from earlier that tore through his chest like a bullet ripping through it’s target was something entirely new for him - it was unlike anything Klaus had ever felt before. It was terrible; and he only hoped he would never be forced to endure that pain ever again. Klaus coughed, curling up on himself from the fit when his stomach cramped and that nauseated feeling returned. He closed his eyes, hugging his legs to his chest as he rested his forehead atop his knees and focused on taking deep, steadying breaths. Klaus kept reminding himself that he was fine, though. Of course he was feeling a little crappy after the laborious events from the week, his body must not be ready to do so much activity like that again just yet. Still though, Klaus felt like shit and couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he should have stayed home, after all.

Klaus didn’t know how long he sat there, curled in on himself fighting off his discomfort, but the next thing he knew a hand was settling on his shoulder, jostling him awake. He hadn’t even realized he’d nodded off. He opened his eyes, resting his chin on his knees and peered up at the smiling faces of his husband, brother, and his little girl, “Who’s hungry?” Dave asked, reaching to take Klaus’s hand and helping him onto his unsteady feet, “Come on baby, let’s go eat.”

* * *

The family sat at their usual booth at Griddy’s; Klaus and Ben helped Riley look over the kids menu to decipher what she wanted to eat, although the little lady seemed pretty set on her choice of Macaroni and cheese. When the waitress came around to take everyone’s order, the choices were pretty unanimous around the table. Ben and Dave both decided on bacon cheeseburgers and French fries with waters, and Riley her Mac and cheese and a lemonade.

“And what will you have, dear?” The waitress asked Klaus, holding her pen to her pad as she smiled awaiting his answer.

“I’ll just have water, thank you.” Klaus answered, laying his menu down.

“Just water? Baby, you need to eat,” Dave said, eyeing him worriedly.

“I’m really not hungry,” he said, laying his palm over his belly. He didn’t know why, but he still felt a little queasy. While originally he thought eating may help, the more he thought about trying to eat, the less appetizing the idea sounded.

“Klaus, have you learned absolutely nothing,” Ben started, pressing against his shoulder, “You-Need-Food.” He finished, accentuating each word.

Klaus held up his hands in defeat, “Alright, alright,” he started, picking back up and glossing over the menu, “There’s just not many options that I can have.” His dietary restrictions due to his condition certainly did stifle his options, but more than anything, he just wasn’t hungry. After much deliberation, Klaus finally decided on a dish that he thought he might be able to stomach. “I’ll take a cobb salad, hold the bacon and dressing, please.” 

The waitress smiled, taking down his order before retrieving the menus and leaving to give their orders to the kitchen. Klaus sighed, slumping against his seat and folding his hands over his stomach. “You know, the lettuce is probably just a facade for how unhealthy this thing really is, I hope that you’re happy.” He joked, rubbing gently at his upset tummy.

“I am now that you’re eating,” Dave said, smiling sadly at his husband, “You know food will help you feel a little better, give you more energy. You need the nutrition, darlin.”

“I know, you’re right.” Klaus smiled.

The food came and everyone settled down to eat. Riley kept stealing Ben’s fries, causing him to whine and say she should have gotten her own, before he would scoop a spoon into her mac and cheese to redeem his stolen bites. Dave and Klaus laughed when Dave tossed a French fry at Ben and it lodged itself into his hair without him noticing. It stayed there throughout the duration of their meal, and their laughter only intensified once he finally found it, chucking it back at Dave with such force he choked on his bite of burger. Klaus picked at his meal, nibbling occasionally on a piece of lettuce, or a chunk of hard boiled egg, but ultimately he couldn’t bring himself to eat it. Even those few tiny bites left his stomach uncomfortably full, he simply couldn’t force himself to take even one more bite. He did, however, ask for a To-Go box to save it for in case he felt hungry later, which proved to be good enough for his concerned husband and brother. They paid for their meals before leaving to head home.

As they walked to their car Klaus trailed far behind his family; he was definitely feeling the effects from the day and was already slowing down. His steps got slower, and slower and he found that he was lightheaded and struggling to breathe. He didn’t understand why he felt this way; he’d been taking the last few days easy, why wasn’t he feeling any better? Klaus took another step forward when he started to feel increasingly dizzy; suddenly everything started spinning and he was forced to stop to lean against the wall. He closed his eyes, just hoping the feeling would pass. 

Ben noticed he wasn’t behind them any longer and turned to find Klaus leaning heavily against the wall, he could see his chest heaving from where he stood. Worried, he approached his brother, laying his hand on his back, “Hey, are you okay?”

Klaus forced his eyes open, tilting his head to peer at his siblings blurred figure, “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine, just kinda tired and feeling a little winded, that’s all.” he said, pressing his palms against the wall as he straightened. Klaus ran his palm down his belly and shook his head, trying to unscramble his weary mind. 

Dave approached the two with Riley dangling from his shoulders, “What’s going on, baby are you alright?”

“He said he’s tired and feeling out of breath,” Ben informed, rubbing Klaus’s back as he struggled to breathe.

“I knew this was too much too fast, darlin. You’re pushing yourself too far—“ Dave began. Klaus knew that he meant well, that they all did, but he was tired of being told he couldn’t carry on living his normal day to day life. This was normal, he was fine.

“I’m fine,” Pushing himself off the wall, Klaus turned to face his family. “Let’s just go home.”

On the car ride back to the house Klaus sat in silence while the sound of his family’s voices perforated the air around him. He was struggling to stay awake, his eyes kept drooping and he found that he had to keep forcing them open, shifting in his seat just to stay conscious. Occasionally he would catch a snippet from their conversation and pipe in, chiming along and adding his two cents before he would once again lose his energy, dozing once again. The song on the radio caught his attention; they were listening to the Disney station, Riley’s request, and her absolute favorite song came on. He smiled contentedly as he listened to his little angel sing along to the tune. Dave and Ben joined alongside her and even Klaus couldn’t stop himself from singing along with his family. Tired or not, Klaus was overwhelmed with a warm fuzzy feeling, and knew that he was incredibly _lucky_ simply being able to spend this precious time with his loved ones.

When they arrived home the sun was just beginning to edge towards the horizon, it’s brilliant golden rays casting a shimmering fire-like glow against their home, illuminating Riley’s perfect ringlet curls atop her head as they approached the front door. The family entered the house and Klaus immediately took a seat on the couch. 

Riley sat beside him, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight, rib crushing embrace. “Daddy, can we watch a Disney movie?”

Klaus giggled softly, nuzzling his nose against her curls, “Of course, princess. Whatever you’d like, you pick!”

Dave popped in the movie Riley chose before sitting beside Klaus and Riley on the couch. Ben made them all popcorn, handing Riley her own bowl before taking a seat on the other side of Dave and they all settled down for the show. Not even fifteen minutes into the movie Klaus’s eyelids began to flutter, feeling like they were weighted down by bricks. He fought with them, trying to keep them open, but he was simply too tired to win. Eventually they drifted closed, his head lulling back and resting against the back of the couch when a pressure appeared on his lap.

“Do you not like this movie, daddy?” Riley asked. She’d crawled into his lap, her tiny hands pressed against each side of his face.

Klaus opened his eyes, smiling tiredly at his little girl, “No, I do princess. This is one of my favorites,” he assured her to the best of his abilities, but his voice was soft, barely a murmur through his heavy fatigue.

Ben watched Klaus with a worried expression, he could see how tired his brother was and how desperately he needed to rest. “You know what,” he started, leaning forward to smile at Riley before directing his gaze between Klaus and Dave, “I claim Riley tonight, I’ll even sing the little monster her lullaby—“

“No, that’s okay, Benny,” Klaus went to protest, but by the look on Dave and Ben’s faces, he knew it was a battle he was doomed to lose. So instead, he relaxed against the cushions, his hazy green eyes drooping once again. “Alright, you’re sure you don’t mind?”

“ _Mind?_ ” Ben started with a snort, “Please, I’m excited! A slumber party with my favorite buzzy little honey bee? What’s there to mind? Besides Klaus, you’re beat, you should save your energy, you’ll need it for tomorrow to watch her performance.”

Klaus’s lips tugged into a delicate grin at his brother’s words. He knew he was right. Honestly, Klaus was grateful. He was so tired, he knew he couldn’t keep fighting it. There was no denying that his heart had been feeling extra weak and fluttery today, and he could hardly keep his eyes open for even a moment longer. He could feel that he needed to try to get some sleep, and judging by how incredibly weak he was currently feeling, he knew the sooner he got to sleep, the better.

Klaus planted his lips within Riley’s curls, wrapping his heavy limbs around her in a hug, “I’m sorry princess, daddy’s pretty tired today, I won’t be able to sing you to sleep tonight, but I promise that daddy Davey and uncle Benny will do a fine job. I think I’m going to try and go to sleep now.” He closed his eyes, resting his cheek atop her head.

Riley's lips sank into a frown. She always looked forward to their nightly ritual, Klaus had been singing her to sleep every night since the day she was born, but she understood when he got this tired that the best thing for him was to allow him to rest. “Aww, okay daddy,” she started tipping her head back so she could look him in his half hooded eyes. They shared a smile and a quick kiss as she stroked her tiny palm over his warm cheek, “I love you, goodnight.” She kissed him again before wiggling off of his lap to go sit beside her uncle. 

Dave inched himself closer to Klaus, aiding his husband to sit up on the couch, “Are you sure that you’re feeling alright,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to his love’s, “Don’t get me wrong, I agree you should rest, but you _never_ skip your ritual—“

Klaus smiled, pecking his husband's lips to silence his worried rambling, “Yes, baby, I’m fine. I’m just tired, I want to make sure I’m well rested for tomorrow. Besides, you heard Ben. I have faith you two will carry on our tradition with honor.” He exhaled an exhausted laugh through his nose. “Now, I’m gonna hit the hay. Goodnight, I love you.” he kissed Dave’s lips before he went to stand. Slowly Klaus pushed himself off the couch, closing his eyes when the lightheaded feeling returned. Dave stood, noticing his husband’s wavering form and braced his hand against his back to support him. Klaus smiled at him appreciatively, his features contorting slightly when his stomach cramped with another bout of nausea. Klaus pressed his palm against his belly, inhaling a shaky breath. Thankfully, it passed almost as quickly as it came on and he felt well enough to continue on to their bedroom. He turned, facing Dave to pull him in for a quick hug and a kiss, telling him goodnight again, before going to Ben and Riley and hugging, kissing and wishing them each goodnight, as well. 

The entire family told Klaus goodnight, reminding him how much they each loved him before he finally made the trek to the bedroom. Klaus slipped out of his shoes and jeans, leaving his sweater on for added warmth before easing his weary body down against his mattress, bundling himself up beneath his three warm blankets. He sighed, rubbing his chest when his heart fluttered angrily at the exertion of the action, swallowing thickly when his stomach roiled, threatening to spill the few scraps from his dinner. Klaus closed his eyes, continuing to rub soothing circles against his heart with one hand, while pressing firmly against his belly with the other. He hated that he was feeling this way, why couldn't his body just wait a few more days before it would act out like this? Klaus tried to relax his tight muscles, melting against his mattress. Slowly drifting to sleep, he just kept hoping and praying that he would be able to feel better and have a little more energy come morning; he just wanted to be able to watch his little girl's performance, and enjoy some much deserved quality time with his entire family. Hopefully a good night's sleep would be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who is following along! I hope you know how much I appreciate you! Thank you everyone who’s reading, commented, left kudos, subscribed or bookmarked thus far! As always, comments let us know that you like what you’re reading and helps encourage us writers to keep posting! If you like this story, please let me know! Thank you!
> 
> That being said, I just started taking virtual classes guys and it’s taking up a lot of my time. I work full time, have school, write and I’m also feeling a weeeeeee bit burnt out in general, so that being said I’m taking a mini break on writing. Not long, I promise, I’ll be back with more updates for this story before you know it! I just need a little me time! This story is completely plotted and I’m almost done with the 5th chapter but I just need a break to focus on myself for a little while! I promise I won’t be gone long! I hope you guys will still continue to follow along and enjoy this story, I promise this isn’t the end! When I start something I always finish it and this story will be no different! I just need a couple of weeks to breathe! I promise I’ll be back feeling rejuvenated, refreshed and ready to write more soon! Just keep an eye out! ;)
> 
> Thank you all for being so patient! Stay safe! See you all soon! :)


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